Bring on the Rain
by NCISVU
Summary: Gibbs gets handed a case that has some similarities to his past bringing up painful memories for him. Child abuse/Jibbs/Written for Shesadreamer87
1. Chapter 1

******Author's Note: **_This story is written for and inspired by Shesadreamer87. She suggested the story idea and has come up with many of the ideas. I just hope I'm doing it justice. =)_

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><p><strong>Bring On the Rain<strong>

Gibbs sat on one of the sawhorses in his basement, staring at his boat, his hands fidgeting with the tools lying on the table beside him. His boat was supposed to provide the comfort and distraction he needed after long days but tonight it betrayed him. His coffee mug, full of bourbon, sat untouched on his workbench beside him, right next to the flask with Shannon and Kelly's names on it, the one with the bullet in it, the one that had saved his life. His girls had managed to save him but he wasn't there to save them and despite the passing years, it still laid heavy on his heart.

The date was February 28, the anniversary of the senseless murder of his wife and only child, the day Gibbs' entire world had changed. He grabbed the stack of pictures lying next to his bourbon and began flipping through them. He stopped on one of Shannon, ran his fingers over her hair, her face, her body. He would give anything for one more day with her, one more hour, one more second. The ache in his heart seemed to only be intensifying as time passed.

"_Jethro, my love, you have to let me go."_ Gibbs looked up and blinked a couple times. Standing in front of him was his beautiful Shannon. _"You have to let me go."_

"How?" Gibbs begged, desperate for an answer. This was the second time she'd appeared to him in a dream, telling him to let her go but he didn't have a clue how to do that. "How, Shannon? Tell me. Give me a sign."

"_You have to let me go."_

Shannon disappeared the instant Gibbs' phone rang. Once again, Gibbs found himself alone in his basement. He silently cursed his phone as he reached across the table and grabbed it. A quick look at the caller ID told him it was Jenny calling. He considered ignoring it, not really wanting to speak to anyone but he knew it might be important.

"Yeah," he answered.

The tone of his voice instantly distracted Jenny. She immediately knew something was off. "Jethro," she said, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Gibbs answered sounding more like himself. "Is that why you called? To check up on me?"

"No, I, uh, we got an anonymous tip about a possible child abuse case," Jenny said, refocusing her thoughts.

Gibbs pushed away his selfish thoughts of not wanting to deal with what he was sure would be a difficult case as he took the stairs up to his kitchen two at a time. He pulled his red Marine Corps hoodie over his head then put on his black Carhartt jacket and headed out.

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><p>Gibbs pulled the sedan up in front of NCIS headquarters to pick Tim up and found Jenny there waiting with his most junior agent. Tim climbed in the back seat of the car and Jenny settled herself in the front seat then looked over at Gibbs.<p>

"What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well, since Tony and Ziva aren't scheduled to return from their conference in California until tomorrow, I thought you could use the help," Jenny said. Gibbs stared at her for a moment before putting the car in gear and heading back towards the front gate. "The tip was called in by a drug dealer who wished to remain anonymous for obvious reasons," Jenny explained. "He wouldn't say much except that the child living in the house wasn't being treated right and he couldn't overlook it."

"How noble of him," Gibbs stated sarcastically.

"Jethro—"

Gibbs shook his head, stopping her before she could continue. He had to put the past behind him and leave it there. There was another child who needed his attention at the moment and he couldn't be distracted with things of the past. He parked the car in front of the address the anonymous tipster had given and the group got out.

The sun had already set, taking with it what little warmth the day had held. There was a light on inside the small one story house, illuminating what looked like a living room. The path to the front door had turned icy in spots with the dropping temperatures. Spring was right around the corner and the warmer temperatures would be welcomed with open arms.

"The house is being rented to a Rachel Morrison," Tim informed everyone as they skated towards the front porch. "Her husband was Marine First Lieutenant Ethan Morrison, died three years ago under suspicious circumstances. They had one daughter, Kellie Morrison."

Gibbs nearly froze where he stood. He lifted his eyes to the heavens looking to see if Shannon was lingering there. Was this the sign he'd asked for? No, it couldn't be. This was just a coincidence but he was Leroy Jethro Gibbs and Leroy Jethro Gibbs did not believe in coincidences.

"Jethro?" Jenny asked, bringing him out of his thoughts. Gibbs glanced over at Jenny then took the last few steps to the front porch and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" a muffled voice yelled from inside the house.

Gibbs looked at Jenny then Tim as all three of them prepared themselves to enter the house. He opened the front door slowly and looked inside. "NCIS," he said quietly as they entered cautiously.

"What took you so long?" the woman called out before the agents entered the living room. "You were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Rachel Morrison?" Gibbs asked as he rounded the corner into the living room. Tim's jaw dropped as came to a stop between Gibbs and Jenny. There, on the coffee table, was a large stash of illegal narcotics laying out in plain sight. Regardless of if there was any merit to the abuse allegation, the woman was in trouble and she knew it.

"What the hell are you doing in my house?" she asked, both fear and anger coating her voice.

"You invited us in," Gibbs said.

"Get out of my house!" she screamed.

"Oh no," Gibbs said, "we're not going anywhere."

Rachel let out a loud scream as she lunged at Gibbs. None of the agents were quite prepared for the woman's erratic behavior. Before Gibbs could react he found himself flat on his back with the woman on top of him, raising her fist into the air. Gibbs quickly regained control of the situation, rolling the woman off of him and rising to his feet. Rachel was unwilling to go down without a fight and came at Gibbs again. When he realized she wasn't going to give up, he took her down with a firm punch to her face. That didn't deter her for long before she came at Gibbs again. He managed to get his arm around her neck and hold her in a choke hold until she passed out but not before clawing up his face and arms.

With the woman subdued, Tim and Jenny began clearing the house. Tim went through the first floor, room by room while Jenny focused on a door that was padlocked from the outside. She tapped the lock with the butt of her gun, knocking it open. The doorway led to a dark staircase leading down to the basement. She could hear rodents squeaking and scurrying about below. Smells of human waste and body odor choked the air as she slowly made her way downstairs using her flashlight for guidance.

Once she made it all the way to the bottom, Jenny quickly shined her light around the room and listened for any movement other than the rats. As she started into the basement, she stepped on the tail of a rat causing it to squeal and race off. Once her heart rate had slowed again, she continued on her path, running into a string hanging down from the ceiling. She shined her flashlight up and was happy to find a light bulb. She pulled the string and light filled the nearly empty basement.

The rats inhabiting the room weren't bothered at all by her presence. Instead they continued feasting on the month old leftovers crusted to the plates scattered around the floor. In the middle of the room, there was a heavy chain bolted to the floor with a cuff on the end. In the far back corner of the room, Jenny found a large dog cage and huddled in the back corner of the cage was a young girl wearing a light blue striped spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of plain light blue panties.

Jenny's eyes widened at her discovery. The last thing she expected to find in a room with human feces and urine littering the floor and inhabited by rats was a child. "Hi Sweetheart," she said walking over to the girl, "my name's Jenny. I'm a federal agent, kind of like a police officer. Are you Kellie?"

As Jenny rattled the lock on the cage and knocked it open the girl cowered further into her corner, covering her head with the wool blanket that was in the cage with her. Jenny reached her hand slowly into the cage, trying to provide a comforting touch to the scared little girl but as soon as she came in contact with the child, her hand was quickly batted away. Kellie's body began shaking uncontrollably as she cowered in the corner.

Gibbs made his way into the basement, still slightly out of breath from the physical fight with the mother. Despite his calm composure on the outside, on the inside he was horrified. He'd seen a lot of things throughout his life but he'd never ever seen anything like the sight before him. "Is this Kellie?" he asked, his voice calm and friendly as if he were talking to the child.

"I don't know," Jenny said, horror evident in her voice. "She's not speaking and she doesn't like to be touched." She stepped back, knowing Gibbs had a special way with kids that almost instantly provoked an immediate trust. She watched him kneel at the entrance to the cage and smile at the frightened girl.

"Can you come out here with us, Kiddo?" he asked. "We need to get you out of here and somewhere warm and clean and safe."

Kellie peeked up at Gibbs out of the corner of her eye. He wasn't like the men her mother brought home. He reminded her of her father, his hair, his posture, his mannerisms, and just the way he moved about. She cautiously inched her way towards the special agent, pushed his hand out the way and exited the cage.

"Atta girl," Gibbs encouraged with a friendly smile. He pulled the blanket out of the cage and gently wrapped it around her shoulders. The room was far from warm and the girl was basically only wearing thin underwear. She looked around the room, studying all the movement around her. She knew her mother was lurking somewhere in the shadows, waiting to strike.

"Oh God," Tim grumbled as he entered the basement, his eyes already watering from the strong odors.

Gibbs looked over at his young agent, hoping he didn't lose it. He knew Tim had a sensitive stomach when it came to certain situations. "Do you have a picture of Kellie?" he asked, trying to refocus the agent's mind.

Tim pulled out his phone and scrolled through a couple pages before finding the girl's record. "Yep," he said. "That's her, Kellie Morrison, 8 years old."

Gibbs almost choked on the coffee he was drinking when the girl's age was revealed, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Even though he didn't verbalize it, both Jenny and Tim knew his Kelly had been just 8 years old when she was murdered. That was all the sign Gibbs needed. An 8 year old named Kellie that even resembled his daughter if he squinted. Yes, it was the sign he'd asked Shannon for. This child would never replace his Kelly but maybe it was a second chance for him. He would do whatever he could to help her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Gibbs sent Tim to put Rachel Morrison in the interrogation room to let her stew for awhile. Jenny hurried off to the store to purchase some clothing for Kellie and Gibbs ordered a couple pizzas for dinner before taking the eight year old down to autopsy to see Ducky. The medical examiner had all the bodies tucked away for evening and was waiting for his young patient to arrive.

Gibbs lifted Kellie up onto one of the cold autopsy tables, not missing the fact that her body stiffened at his touch. "Dr. Mallard is going to have a quick look at you," he explained as he removed the wool blanket she was wrapped in. "We just want to make sure you're okay."

Ducky smiled at the girl as he rolled over in front of her on his stool. He knew if he sat a little lower than her it would come off less threatening than if he stood over her while he did his exam. "These bruises surrounding her upper arms indicate she's either been held down or yanked around, or both," Ducky explained to Gibbs.

The doctor went about assessing Kellie's vital signs and examining her body for any obvious injuries. The process was complicated by Kellie pushing his hands away anytime he got too close. Every bone in Gibbs' body was screaming at him to stop the exam and not cause the girl anymore stress but he knew Ducky was being as gentle as possible and after finding her in the conditions they did, he knew she needed to be examined. When he was finished, Ducky drew blood then provided the girl with a warm, damp washcloth so she could get herself cleaned up a little bit while he spoke quietly with Gibbs.

"She didn't even flinch when you drew blood," Gibbs observed. "Has her mother been injecting her with drugs?"

"Unlikely," Ducky answered. "She would have track marks if that were the case. I didn't find any needle punctures. With the exception of the bruises on her arms, I couldn't find anything wrong with her but I did not do an in-depth exam. She's in such a fragile state that I'm afraid if we push her too much she'll close herself off completely."

"But from what you could tell…"

"From what I could tell she seems to be okay physically but there's no telling where she's at emotionally," Ducky concluded. "That will take time, Jethro."

Gibbs nodded at the doctor then waited patiently for Kellie to finish getting herself cleaned up. When she was done, he helped her wash her face. "That should do until you get a bath," he said with a smile. "Now, how about some food?"

Kellie took a deep, calming breath. The visit to the doctor hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. She followed Gibbs back to the squad room and saw Tim paying the pizza delivery guy. There weren't very many people around that night. With the exception of the area where the small group was working, the room was pretty dark. Outside the window, the full moon lit up the dark night sky.

"Just in time," Gibbs said. "The pizza just got here." Kellie turned to see Jenny returning from her shopping trip with a few bags.

"Well, let's get Kellie dressed and then eat," Jenny said dumping the clothing she'd just bought on Gibbs' desk. She removed the tags, then helped the little girl get dressed.

After finally getting cleaned up a little bit and dressing in a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve white shirt that said 'LOVE' in large pink letters across the chest, Kellie was starting to feel a little bit better. It had been a long time since she'd been out of the cold, dark basement. She'd missed out on a lot in the past three years. Just being able to stand up and walk around was a big change.

Kellie looked around for the agent who seemed to make her feel instantly safe, the one who reminded her of her father. When she saw him sitting at one of the desks, she walked over and sat down behind him, next to the bookcase. It was a little different than her cage but it was still a nice, tight area so she felt safe and secure.

"You don't have to hide back there, Kiddo," Gibbs said.

"Why don't you come on out here and eat some pizza with us," Jenny encouraged.

Kellie looked from Gibbs to Jenny but didn't make any effort to move. Her stomach was twisted in knots and the last thing on her mind was food.

"Do you not like pizza?" Jenny asked. "We can get you something else if you want, anything you want, you just have to tell us."

Gibbs watched as the girl still made no effort to move. He knew she was scared. Although the living conditions in the basement were deplorable, it had been her home. They came in and took her away from the only thing she knew in life and now she was surrounded by strangers. "Can you try to eat something for me, Kellie?" he asked feeling a tinge of heartache at saying the name out loud.

Jenny put a piece of pizza on a paper plate and offered it to Kellie. The girl took the plate and laid it in her lap, unwilling to take a bite with everyone staring at her. When she thought no one was looking, she took a small bite of her pizza. She looked up and saw Gibbs smiling at her. "Good girl," he said quietly as he winked at her.

Gibbs, Jenny and Tim made small talk with Kellie while they ate their dinner, even though she wouldn't respond to any of them. They did their best to put the little girl's fears at ease and make her feel safe but they knew it would take time. Kellie ate her pizza slowly, her stomach rebelling against each bite. The pizza was good and it was the first time she'd had a meal that she didn't have to share with the rats in as long as she could remember but as she continued to eat she started feeling sicker and sicker. She put the last bite of pizza crust in her mouth but as she chewed something didn't feel right.

Gibbs watched as Kellie stopped chewing and the color drained from her face. He'd seen that look before and knew what was coming next. He quickly slid his trash can over to her just in time for her to throw up everything that was in her stomach. "It's okay, Sweetheart," he said as he held her long brown hair back out of the way. He waited for her to finish vomiting then laid her hair on her back and smoothed his hand over it.

Kellie instinctively jerked away from his touch as she wiped her mouth. She accepted the cup of water from Jenny and used it to rinse her mouth out. She knew eating that pizza was a bad idea but boy did it taste good. After everything else that had happened that evening she was starting to get tired.

"Boss," Tim said. When Gibbs looked in his direction, Tim held up a piece of paper with some notes on it.

Gibbs motioned for Tim to meet him over by the window then stood and rubbed his hand over Kellie's hair. "I'll be right back," he told her, "I'm just going right over there." He smiled down at the girl then followed Jenny over to where Tim was standing.

"Ethan Morrison, Kellie's dad, was shot in the head with a handgun registered in his name for personal use," Tim said quietly so Kellie wouldn't overhear him. "He died when Kellie was five. Rebecca said her husband had been having suicidal ideations but she didn't think he'd actually do anything."

"Did something happen that would've made the First Lieutenant suicidal?" Gibbs asked.

"That's just it, Boss," Tim said. "I spoke with his best friend and he told me nothing happened to make Morrison suicidal. His marriage was a little rocky but he adored his daughter. Kellie was daddy's little girl and the Lieutenant couldn't get home fast enough to spend time with her. Also, police found no gunshot residue on Morrison's hand and if Lieutenant Morrison did kill himself, he didn't hold the gun directly to his head. Ballistics test showed the bullet was fired from approximately 18 inches away."

"Why didn't they investigate further?" Gibbs asked, frustrated at the messy investigation.

"Rebecca produced a suicide note that Ethan supposedly wrote," Tim said. "It looks like it was never checked out though."

"Sloppy," Gibbs said. "We're going to find out what really happened to him. Start by getting a handwriting expert to check out that suicide note."

They made their way back over to the bullpen and found Kellie curled up on the floor behind Gibbs' desk sound asleep, using his hoodie as a pillow. A smile crossed Gibbs' face as he covered her up with his coat. He glanced down at his watch and realized it was quickly approaching midnight. Rachel Morrison had been waiting in interrogation for over two hours. He was tempted to leave her in there all night but decided that since Kellie was sleeping peacefully, he had time to question her.

Gibbs made a copy of Ethan Morrison's autopsy report and delivered it to Ducky for his professional opinion then headed to observation to go over Rachel Morrison's long list of drug related charges while he watched the woman through the glass.

"How's she doing?" he asked the agent assigned to keep an eye their suspect.

"One minute she's sitting calmly at the table, the next minute she's pacing the floor, and the next minute after that she's pounding on the door and walls and screaming at the top of her lungs."

"All over the place," Gibbs concluded opening the folder in his hand. He took his time going through her record, watching as her many mood swings played out.

After he'd been there for almost an hour, the door to observation opened and Abby appeared behind him. "Is that her? The woman who keeps little children locked in her basement?" Gibbs looked up at his forensic scientist and nodded. "I found high concentrations of PCP in her system," Abby said, watching as Rachel started to come unglued once again.

"That definitely explains some of her behavior," Gibbs concluded, taking the paper with Abby's findings.

"Your body would have to work up to being able to handle that high of a concentration," Abby explained. "If someone who's never taken PCP before took as much as she did tonight, it would kill them."

"Thanks Abs," Gibbs said.

"Did she do that to your face?" Abby asked reaching out and lightly touching the scratches running down the left side of his face.

Gibbs held onto her hand so she couldn't touch his sore face. "I'm ok," he said.

"Will you at least let me clean those scratches out for you?" she pleaded.

Gibbs grumbled his approval, taking advantage of the excuse to let Rachel sit by herself a little longer. Abby quickly retrieved a first aid kit and started digging through it, searching for the needed supplies. "No band-aids," Gibbs instructed.

"I know," Abby said. "I'll just clean it out for you, that way you don't get an infection. I saw pictures of the hell hole that monster was living in. Who knows what kind of diseases you could pick up?"

Gibbs sat patiently while Abby cleaned his open wounds, watching as Rachel settled down once again. She rested her head on the table and closed her eyes as if she were trying to go to sleep. That made Gibbs smile. He would let her sleep for a couple minutes then wake her, just to frustrate her even more.

"Ok," Abby said, "you're all cleaned up. You should be safe from infection and disease."

"Thanks, Abs," Gibbs said. He let Rachel sleep for five minutes then barged into the interrogation room, slammed a chair down in front of her and slapped his folder onto the table near her head, making as much noise as possible.

Rachel groaned and grumbled and rubbed her eyes as she raised her head up. "The hell do you want?" she moaned angrily.

"Answers," Gibbs said calmly.

"I ain't got any of those," Rachel said, her eyes only half open. She watched as Gibbs opened the folder he'd brought in with him.

"You're in a lot of trouble, Morrison," Gibbs said. "The only way for you to help yourself out, is to help me."

Rachel cocked her head to the side with a nasty look on her face. "You're just a pig and I don't help no pigs. You ain't got nothing on me."

"I've got you for possession with more than enough illegal narcotics to lock you up for the rest of your miserable life," Gibbs said laying out photographs of the drugs they'd found when they entered the house. "I've got your blood results saying you have enough PCP in your system to kill a horse," he said showing her the printout Abby had provided him with. "And I've got your daughter locked up in a dog kennel in your basement infested with rodents and human waste," he said as he laid out several more pictures.

"That ain't your jurisdiction," Rachel said smugly.

"No," Gibbs agreed, "it's not anymore but him," he said taking out a picture of First Lieutenant Ethan Morrison and laying it in front of her, "he is my jurisdiction."

"Ethan committed suicide," Rachel said defensively. "That wasn't my fault."

"Hmm," Gibbs said pulling out another piece of paper but keeping it to himself, "I don't think so. There was no gunshot residue on his hand. Do you know what that means? That means he wasn't holding the gun that killed him." He watched as the woman started squirming a bit in her seat. He had her just where he wanted her. "Ballistics show the gun was 18 inches away from Ethan's head when it was fired. People who commit suicide always hold the gun directly to their skin because they don't want to miss. They want to make sure they get the job done right the first time. That, along with a few statements from people who knew Ethan and a few other pieces of evidence is enough to convict you for the murder of a United States Marine and that, Rachel, is my jurisdiction and I'm going to personally see to it that everyone in your cell block knows what you did to your child. Do you know what they do to child abusers in prison?"

Gibbs sat back in his chair and let Rachel process what he'd just told her. Some of what he'd said had been a lie in hopes of scaring her. They had enough circumstantial evidence to put her on trial but he knew the case against her was no sure thing. A confession would make the whole process a lot easier.

"I don't believe you," Rachel said after thinking for a moment. "You can't do that."

"An anonymous call into the prison?" Gibbs said. "I can and I will. I'll do it for Kellie and for Ethan."

Rachel looked into Gibbs' eyes and knew by the agent's stern expression that he wasn't messing around but she wasn't ready to give up just yet, not with the hope of getting out of jail still looming. If she confessed to pulling the trigger of the gun that killed Ethan, there was no way she would get out of jail. She'd been in and out several times on drug charges. She was arrogantly confident that she'd get out again, despite the mountain of evidence they had against her. "I'll take my chances in court," she said snidely.

Gibbs couldn't help but feel a little defeated at not getting a confession but on the other hand he really felt like he was getting somewhere. After going over the evidence and speaking with her, there was no doubt in his mind that she had, in fact, murdered her husband in cold blood. He collected all the pictures and papers lying on the table and tucked them back into his folder then exited the room, leaving her alone once again. After making sure there was someone in observation to keep an eye on her, he headed back up to the bullpen.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The squad room was silent. There wasn't a soul moving around anywhere; even the cleaning crew had finished their work. Gibbs glanced down at his watch. It was already half past three in the morning. When he rounded the corner into the bullpen, he couldn't help but smile. Tim was reclined in his chair, sleeping peacefully with a folder across his chest while his computer filtered through databases, searching for results for something Tim was working on. Jenny was stretched out behind his desk, near where Kellie was curled up sleeping. She didn't look comfortable in the least but she had managed to fall asleep, which was a first. Gibbs never found her asleep in the bullpen. He rarely found her asleep in her office. Her pursuit to be more like him often kept her up on the nights she remained at NCIS. And on the other side of Kellie, also sound asleep, was Abby, using Bert as a pillow.

Gibbs rarely allowed anyone to come behind his desk, with the exception of Abby on certain occasions, but in the early morning hours he found three people back there. There was no way he could sit down at his desk and get any work done. He glanced around the bullpen, taking stock of his options. Tim was sleeping at his desk and his computer was running while he slept. There was no way he was going to use Tony's computer. He feared of what he might find on the promiscuous agent's computer. He decided Ziva's computer was his best bet.

He turned her computer on to start up while he headed into the break room to make a pot of coffee. When his coffee was done, he poured himself a large cup then settled in at Ziva's desk and got to work checking into a few things that had been on his mind since he'd started his current case.

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><p>Gibbs woke the next morning, stiff and sore from sleeping in a chair. He realized Kellie had gotten up sometime after he'd fallen asleep and moved over next to him before going back to sleep. He sat there and watched her sleep, remembering going into his own Kelly's room on nights that he had to work late and watching her sleep. He reached down and readjusted his jacket over her so that it covered her shoulders, unintentionally waking her.<p>

"Good morning, Sweetheart," he said quietly as she sat up and yawned. "How'd you sleep?" Kellie rubbed the sleep out of her eyes then stared, silently, at Gibbs.

"Are you hungry?" Gibbs asked. "I was thinking about heading out to get some coffee. We could pick up some breakfast while we're out."

Kellie stared blankly at Gibbs then glanced over towards where the others were sleeping. Gibbs also looked over towards the group and got an idea when he saw one of Abby's pigtails sticking out from under his desk. He squatted down on the floor in front of Kellie, frightening her at his sudden close proximity.

"I have an idea, Kiddo," he said. "Have you ever heard of sign language?" He watched as Kellie continued to stare blankly at him. "I'm going to show some sign language so we can talk. It'll be our own special language where we talk with our hands instead of our voices. Will you give that a try with me?"

He showed Kellie how to sign the alphabet then slowly spelled out his name and her name. The little girl watched curiously but remained quiet and still. Gibbs taught her how to sign 'yes' and 'no' then asked her a few simple questions, hoping she would answer but Kellie continued to sit perfectly still and just stare at him.

"What's going on?" Abby asked groggily as she lifted herself from the floor and looked over at them.

"I'm teaching Kellie some sign language so she has a way to communicate with us until she feels like talking," Gibbs explained. "Do you want to sign with me so she can see how it's done?"

"Sure!" Abby said excitedly, quickly hurrying over to where Gibbs and Kellie were sitting. The two started signing back and forth, helping Kellie understand their conversation. Kellie watched intently as they talked using only their hands. A trace of a smile appeared as she looked down at her own hands.

"Try it with us," Gibbs encouraged. Kellie started copying the signs Gibbs and Abby showed her, spelling out her name, practicing signing yes and no and learning how to sign dog and cat and other simple words. "I'm so proud of you," Gibbs said once the lesson was over. He pulled the little girl into a hug without even thinking. This time Kellie's body remained stiff at the physical contact but she didn't try to push him away like she'd done on previous occasions. _Baby steps,_ Gibbs thought. They were making progress.

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><p>The day progressed with the team searching for more evidence of First Lieutenant Ethan Morrison's murder. There was no way Gibbs was going to let his wife get away with it. Tony and Ziva had returned from California, jetlagged but ready to jump back into the grind. The two were sent off the interview some of Ethan's friends while Tim and Abby stayed behind in the lab, pouring over any electronic evidence they could get their hands on. Ducky painstakingly went over every detail of the autopsy report, searching for any inconsistencies, studying photographs, listening to the notes the doctor had recorded during the autopsy, searching for anything of value with Jimmy right by his side, offering an extra set of eyes and ears.<p>

After breakfast, Jenny was reluctant to return to her office, wishing instead that she could spend time with Kellie but there was work to be done and she couldn't blow it off. When Gibbs arrived in her office with Kellie not quite an hour later, Jenny couldn't hide her excitement.

"The squad room is starting to get busy," Gibbs explained. "I think being around so many people is making Kellie a little nervous."

"You guys can stay as long as you'd like," Jenny said with a bright smile. "I have to work but there are board games and coloring books and story books so make yourselves at home."

While the rest of his team was hard at work, Gibbs spent the morning entertaining Kellie. They sat down at the conference table in Jenny's office and decided to play a game of _Trouble_. Gibbs showed Kellie how to sign each of the colors then helped her do it with her own hands. He repeated the process with each number the dice rolled. He patiently worked with her on her numbers, counting and colors while they played, hoping the repetition would help her pick up on what he was showing her.

When they were done playing the game, he got out the crayons and a couple coloring books. Kellie chose the coloring book with pictures of animals and flipped it open to a picture of a horse. Gibbs found a picture of Mickey Mouse in one of the other coloring books and started on that, working once again with Kellie on her colors.

"Have you started school yet?" Gibbs asked while they colored.

"_No,"_ Kellie signed.

"Never?" Gibbs asked, wanting to be sure.

"_No,"_ Kellie signed again.

Gibbs gave her a comforting smile and glanced over at her picture. It looked more like the work of a two year old rather than an eight year old. He showed Kellie how to hold her crayon so she would have better control of it and watched as she concentrated on trying to be neat for a moment before going back to scribbling. He was getting ready to show her how to sign 'black' when his cell phone rang. "Gibbs," he answered. "We'll be right there," he said after a moment. He flipped his phone closed and glanced up at Jenny as he reattached it to his belt. "D'Arcy found a foster home for Kellie," he said. "It's time to say goodbye."

"What?" Jenny asked, caught completely off guard.

"She can't live at NCIS," Gibbs said.

Jenny looked from Gibbs to Kellie who had stopped coloring her picture. "I know," she finally said, "I guess I just thought that… well, never mind. I don't know what I thought."

Gibbs knelt next to Kellie and looked into her piercing green eyes. "I'm going to take you to meet your new family now. I hear they're very nice people."

Panic washed over Kellie. She didn't want to be taken to another new place with more new people. She was finally starting to get used to being where she was. She was learning her colors and numbers and ABCs and she was allowed to play and have fun. For the first time since her daddy died she felt safe and happy.

Kellie spent the entire trip over to her new house trying to figure out what to do and how she could stop what was happening. She considered getting out at a stop light and running but she didn't think she would get very far. She considered just biding her time until night fell and running away then but where would she go? She felt like crying but her tears had dried up long ago. She felt both helpless and hopeless as Gibbs parked the sedan behind another car on the street lined with several houses.

"Kellie, I want you to meet D'Arcy," Gibbs said helping her out of the car.

Kellie peeked around Gibbs at the woman standing in front of them. She was smiling and she looked nice enough but the little girl knew looks could be deceiving.

"Is she still not speaking?" D'Arcy asked.

"Not yet," Gibbs said, "but I did teach her a little sign language." He looked at Kellie and smiled. "Come on, Kiddo," he encouraged, "everything's going to be just fine. You'll see."

As Kellie walked next to Gibbs and D'Arcy towards the house she reached up and grabbed onto Gibbs' hand. Her little body shook with fear. She wanted to turn around and run as far and as fast as she could but her feet felt like concrete. She was having a difficult time taking the small steps towards the house. There was no way she would be able to run.

Gibbs, surprised at her gesture, squeezed her hand reassuringly as they all stepped onto the porch. D'Arcy rang the doorbell and they were greeted by a young couple who was all smiles and invited everyone into their home. D'Arcy entered but when Gibbs tried to enter Kellie held his hand firmly, not budging from her spot on the porch.

Gibbs looked up at D'Arcy and the young couple then knelt down in front of Kellie. "What's the matter, Sweetheart?" he asked quietly.

Kellie didn't know much but she hoped Gibbs would understand. _"No,"_ she signed.

"No?" Gibbs asked. "No, what? No you don't want to go in?" Kellie nodded her head adamantly, grateful that Gibbs understood. "This is your new home, Kiddo. Don't you want to see your new room? You have a bed and a dresser and you're going to have some clothes and toys and lots of nice things."

"_No,"_ Kelly signed over and over again.

"Sweetheart, if you don't live here, where are you going to live?" Gibbs asked patiently. Kellie poked her finger into Gibbs' chest, surprising the agent once again. "With me? You want to live with me?" Kellie breathed a sigh of relief as she both nodded her head and signed 'yes.' Before Gibbs knew what to say the little girl was plastered against his chest with her little arms wrapped around his neck.

Gibbs' thoughts raced through his head much faster than he could process them. He thought about the vision he'd had of Shannon in his basement. He remembered asking her for the sign then finding an eight year old named Kellie, he remembered vowing to himself to do everything possible to protect this little girl. He looked helplessly up at D'Arcy who was smiling down at the scene.

"Can you set it up so I can take her?" he asked.

D'Arcy nodded her head, still smiling. "That shouldn't be a problem," she said. She turned to the young couple and shook their hands. "Thank you for your willingness to take Kellie but it looks like she won't need placement here after all." The couple appeared to have some understanding of the situation and said their goodbyes.

Once Kellie latched onto Gibbs she didn't want to let him go. Gibbs lifted her up as he stood and carried her back to the sedan. "Bring me whatever papers need to be signed," he told D'Arcy when they'd reached their cars, "and thank you."

"Anything for you, Agent Gibbs," D'Arcy said with a warm smile. "I'll get the paperwork together and maybe stop by your house tonight?"

"That'd be fine," Gibbs said. "My door is always open."

D'Arcy got in her car and headed out while Gibbs got Kellie in his car and made sure she got buckled. The little girl couldn't believe she was back in the car and leaving with Gibbs. She knew she'd be punished later for her defiant behavior but if she got to stay with Gibbs then it would be worth it. Something about him reminded her of her father and made her feel safe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

There were mixed reactions when Gibbs arrived back at NCIS with Kellie and announced the little girl would be staying with him. Tony and Tim were concerned about Gibbs' motives for taking her in and hoping it wouldn't end up having a negative effect on him. They both knew how devastated he was over the loss of his own Kelly. Ziva thought it would be good for both him and Kellie. Abby couldn't have been more excited and Jenny immediately took on the mothering role, determined to do her best to show the child what it was like to be loved and cared for.

After an uneventful afternoon at work, Gibbs sent his team home, Jenny headed off to the store to get some things for Kellie and Gibbs headed home with the little girl. Jenny had offered to take her shopping but she didn't seem too keen to leave Gibbs' side for fear of possibly never seeing him again. Gibbs grilled some steak in his fireplace for him and Kellie and an extra piece for Jenny to eat when she arrived after shopping. Unlike the pizza they had for dinner the previous evening, Kellie managed to keep the steak down, much to both her and Gibbs' relief.

When they were done eating, Gibbs took Kellie upstairs, got her a towel and a washcloth then left her to take a bath while he returned to the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. As he waited for the coffee to brew, he flipped through the newspaper, going over the stories from the previous day. When nothing caught his eye, he poured himself a cup of coffee and headed back upstairs to check on Kellie. After knocking on the door and getting no response, he peeked his head in and found the girl sitting in the bathtub looking around, her long hair still dry and the towel and washcloth still folded neatly on the counter where he'd left them.

"Do you need help, Sweetheart?" he asked.

Kellie looked at Gibbs but remained quiet. He set his coffee on the countertop then knelt down next to the bathtub. "Let's see if we can get you cleaned up a little bit," he said as he lathered up the washcloth with some soap. He handed her the washcloth and waited patiently while she washed herself. When Kellie was done, she handed the washcloth back to Gibbs. He smiled at her as he rinsed it and put some more soap on it.

"I'm going to help you wash your back, Kiddo," he said. Kellie arched her back and gripped at the edges of the bathtub so tightly her knuckles turned white as Gibbs gently washed her back. She was getting a little more comfortable with Gibbs touching her but she still couldn't help flinching.

Gibbs helped Kellie wash her face and hair then let the water out of the tub. He stepped out of the room while she dressed herself in the t-shirt and pajama pants he'd loaned her, then, when she was done, he rolled up the pant legs so she wouldn't trip. He was sure Jenny would buy pajamas for her while she was at the store, but until she returned that was the best he could do. He ran his comb through the little girl's hair then the two of them headed down to the living room to find Jenny just arriving.

"Need help unloading the car?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, please," Jenny said putting down several shopping bags.

"You stay in here with Kellie and I'll finish unloading car," Gibbs said grabbing his coat. "I put your dinner in the oven to stay warm."

After several trips out to the car, there was a mountain of bags on Gibbs' living room floor. Jenny had purchased everything from toys, games, books and art supplies, to clothes, personal hygiene items, bedding and a stuffed horse. Since that was the picture Kellie had chosen to color in her office that morning, Jenny assumed the girl liked horses.

Kellie looked around at all the bags on the living room floor and was unsure of how to react. For years she'd been living with practically no possessions and very little human contact. It was pushing 24 hours since she was last alone and there were bags and bags of things on the floor, all of them for her.

Kellie accepted the stuffed horse Jenny held out to her and after taking a minute to admire it, she held it close to her chest. It reminded her of the horse her father had given her long ago, the horse her mother had thrown away shortly after her father died.

"What do you say we take all your new stuff up to your room and make sure everything has a place?" Gibbs suggested.

"Then maybe we can watch a movie before bed," Jenny said with a smile as she ate her last bite of steak.

Gibbs handed Kellie two of the lighter shopping bags, waited for Jenny to grab two handfuls of bags then he collected as many as he could and they all headed up to Kellie's new bedroom. While Jenny and Kellie got started putting clothing in the dresser, toys on the shelves and making the bed, Gibbs headed back downstairs to retrieve the rest of the bags. The three of them worked together to get Kellie's room organized. The little girl looked around the room and couldn't believe it all belonged to her and that Gibbs and Jenny had done it all for her. She was almost afraid to even touch any of it or play with it for fear of breaking something.

"Do you want to change into some of your pajamas?" Jenny asked.

"_No,"_ Kelly signed. Gibbs t-shirt and flannel pants were warm and comfortable and if she had the option she didn't want to give them up.

"Ok," Jenny said with a smile, "let's go downstairs and find a movie to watch." Kellie grabbed her new horse then followed Gibbs and Jenny downstairs to the living room.

Jenny laid out several Disney movies and Kelly pointed to _Beauty and the Beast_. She laughed to herself at the fact that Gibbs still had a VCR and VHS tapes as she started the movie. Gibbs made a big batch of popcorn and sat down in the middle of the couch. Jenny sat down on one side of him and Kellie on the other side. Kellie watched Gibbs toss a piece of popcorn into the air and catch it with his mouth then decided she wanted to try. Her piece ended up flying past Gibbs and getting stuck in Jenny's hair.

"With a little practice you'll be catching popcorn out of the air in no time," Gibbs encouraged as he removed the popcorn from Jenny's hair.

Kellie smiled at him then took a handful of popcorn out of the bowl and focused on the movie. It had been years since she'd been allowed to watch TV. She was soon mesmerized by the bright colors, interesting characters, singing and dancing as well as the story being told. Gibbs and Jenny spent more time watching Kellie and enjoying her excitement than they did watching the movie.

Once the popcorn bowl was empty Gibbs set it on the coffee table then grabbed the blanket from the back of the couch and spread it out over all of them. Jenny curled into his side, welcoming the warmth and comfort after spending the previous night on the floor. Kellie peeked around Gibbs, stealing a glimpse of Jenny. Her parents never sat together or showed any affection to each other. She looked up at Gibbs then down at his shoulder. Would he mind if she rested her head on it? Would he hit her or push her away? He didn't seem to mind the other lady doing it.

Gibbs watched Kellie out of his peripheral vision, unsure of what she might be thinking. He moved his arm behind her and Kellie slowly leaned into him, flinching when he rested his arm across her shoulders. After she figured out he wasn't going to hurt her or push her away, she relaxed into his side and started thinking about when her own father used to cuddle her as she watched the movie. By the time the movie ended, Kellie was sleeping on Gibbs' shoulder, mumbling softly as her body twitched and jerked from whatever dream or nightmare she was lost in.

"Are you going to carry her up to bed?" Jenny whispered.

Gibbs nodded at Jenny then stood, lifting Kellie with him. The little girl woke enough to bring her out of her nightmare but buried her face into Gibbs' shoulder and went right back to sleep as he carried her upstairs. After tucking her into bed, Gibbs ran his hand affectionately over her head as he stared adoringly at her. He wondered what it was that made this child trust him so much that she'd refused to stay with her new foster parents earlier. Why had she insisted on coming with him? He was just a gruff old Marine with an out of the ordinary haircut and an unhealthy addiction to caffeine yet she'd chosen him. Was it another sign that he wasn't supposed to let her go? What if he failed again? What if he was unable to protect her?

He saw Jenny's shadow move in front of the door and knew she was waiting for him. He leaned down and lightly kissed the top of Kellie's head then went into the hall with Jenny. "I should get going," she said.

Gibbs took one look at her and knew how exhausted she was. She'd barely slept the night before and what little sleep she did get was on the floor. There were dark circles forming under her eyes and her eyelids were drooping closed as they stood in the hall. "I remember you telling me there was a time you would've asked me to stay and not taken no for answer," he said with a sly look.

"What are you saying?" Jenny asked wanting to be sure she understood him in her haze of exhaustion.

"Why don't you stay?" he suggested. "You're exhausted. I have more than enough room."

"I shouldn't, Jethro," she said without thinking. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

Gibbs smirked at her sudden change of mind. "I'm sure," he said, "as long as you don't hog the bed."

"If I remember correctly, you were the one who was the bed hog," she teased, laughing.

"That's not how I remember it," he said with a wink, knowing full well she was right. He caught her eyes and his expression went serious. "What can I say?" he said quietly as he stepped closer to her. "I like being close to you."

Jenny studied his eyes and saw the seriousness as well as the heartache. Knowing that she'd been the cause of some of that heartache broke her heart. "I've missed you, Jethro," she said quietly, resting her hands against his chest.

Gibbs wrapped his hands around her wrists, holding her hands against him as he leaned closer to her. Jenny arched her head slightly upwards and looked into his eyes for a moment before closing her eyes and tilting her head farther up. He studied her face, letting the anticipation build before leaning closer to her and rubbing his nose against hers then pressing his lips to hers.

"So, will you stay?" he asked quietly when they pulled apart.

"Only if you promise not to make me sleep in that big bed alone," Jenny said.

"Trust me," Gibbs said before leaning in and kissing her again, "you won't be lonely tonight."

* * *

><p>"<em>Daddy! Daddy, help me! Daddy, please!" Gibbs watched as the van carrying his wife and daughter sped out of control. Their driver had been shot, the bullet killing him instantly. Shannon and Kelly clung to each other, terrified. Gibbs watched and listened as his baby girl called out to him, begged him to help but he couldn't get to them. He could see them, he was watching the horrific scene unfold in front of his eyes but for some reason he couldn't reach them, he couldn't go to them, help them or even comfort them. Kelly's pleas brought tears to his eyes as he ran faster and faster, trying desperately to reach them. "Daddy! Daddy!" <em>

_The pleas quieted after the car crashed. He looked at Shannon and knew was gone. There was no way anyone could survive the injuries she acquired but Kelly was still squirming, still moaning, still quietly calling his name, begging, pleading for her daddy to help her. Gibbs ran faster. He wouldn't let his child be afraid. He had to get to her, to reassure her that daddy was there and everything was going to be okay but he didn't seem to be making any progress. Kelly was just out of reach and no matter how loudly he called to her, she didn't seem to hear him. _

_Gibbs watched as her small body stilled and her voice quieted. "No! Kelly! Come back to me, please. Come back to Daddy! Kelly!" But it was too late. She was gone and he was still running, still unable to get to her, unable to hold her, unable to kiss her tears away, unable to reassure her. It was too late, he was too late. The most important people in his world were gone._

"Jethro. Jethro, wake up," Jenny prodded. She ran her hand down the side of his face, trying to wake him from the violent nightmare. "Jethro."

Finally he woke with a heartbreaking moan. "Kelly?" he called out, short of breath.

"Kellie's in the next room," Jenny said unaware that wasn't the Kelly he was calling out for. "She's sleeping."

Gibbs opened his eyes, still breathing heavy and let reality wash over him. He realized it had just been a dream but that didn't stop the tears from building behind his eyes.

"Oh Jethro," Jenny said wishing she knew how to help him. She held his head in her arms, gently sweeping her fingers through his sweaty hair, years of pain clearly visible on his face. She knew there was nothing she could say or do so she did the only thing she knew, she held him and much to her surprise, he let her.

Gibbs pulled himself together quickly, slightly embarrassed Jenny had caught him at a weak moment. He wondered what he'd said or done in his sleep that caused her to wake up. "I didn't mean to wake you," he said calmly. He rested his hand on the side of her face, leaned in and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to go downstairs for a little while. You go back to sleep."

"Are you okay?" Jenny asked unsure if she should let him go or if she should follow him.

"I'm fine," he said as convincingly as he could, "really. Go back to sleep. We have work in the morning."

Jenny watched him walk out of the room and decided just to let him be. Every bone in her body wanted to follow him but she knew if she pushed too hard he would just close her out completely. She rolled over, pulled the blanket over her shoulders and tried to go back to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Kellie woke in the early morning hours, startled out of a vivid dream. The house was still dark and she couldn't hear any movement around her. She concluded everyone else was still in bed and silently slipped out from under the covers and tip-toed into Gibbs' room. When she saw Jenny was the only one in bed, she quietly made her way downstairs and saw a soft light coming from the living room. She peeked her head in and saw Gibbs stretched out on one end of the couch with his feet resting on the coffee table. She watched his eyes and determined he was sleeping so she snuck into the room and laid down on the couch next to him, resting her head in his lap.

The alarm woke Jenny early on Friday morning. She reached over and turned it off then glanced at the empty bed next to her. Gibbs had never returned to bed but that didn't really surprise her. What did surprise her was the fact that she'd managed to go back to sleep after he'd left. She chalked it up to not getting much sleep the night before and shook it off.

After a quick shower, Jenny dressed in the clothes she kept in her go-bag. It was Friday and she didn't have any important meetings scheduled so she could get away with wearing blue jeans and a nice top. She headed downstairs and found Gibbs and Kellie cuddled up together on the couch, watching cartoons.

"Good morning, guys," she said sitting down on the opposite side of Gibbs. "How are we doing today?"

Gibbs wrapped his arm around Jenny and pulled her close enough he could kiss her temple. "I think we're doing okay today," he answered. "Just watching some TV before it's time to go."

"Are you feeling better?" she asked quietly. Gibbs looked over at her and nodded. Jenny smiled then peeked around Gibbs at Kellie. "What do you say I make us some breakfast while you two get ready to go?"

"Breakfast sounds good," Gibbs said as he nudged Kellie. "Does breakfast sound good to you, Kiddo?" Kellie shrugged her shoulders and stood from the couch with Gibbs.

"Let's go find you something to wear then I need to take a shower," he said. "After that, we'll all sit down and eat breakfast together before we head into work." Gibbs followed Kellie upstairs to her room and helped her pick an outfit out from the clothing Jenny had purchased the night before. He encouraged her to go downstairs and spend some time with Jenny after she was dressed then he left to get a quick shower and get himself ready to go.

Twenty minutes later, Gibbs was showered, shaved and dressed. As he headed down the hall towards the stairs, he caught sight of something in Kellie's room. He walked back and peeked in to find the girl sitting on her bed. "Whatcha doing, Kiddo?" he asked. "Have you been waiting here the whole time?"

"_Yes,"_ Kellie signed. She was waiting for him. She didn't really want to be alone with the other woman, just in case Jenny was anything like her own mother.

"Were you scared?" Gibbs asked.

"_Yes,"_ Kellie signed, _"scared."_

Gibbs knelt in front of her and put his hands on the bed on either side of her. "You don't have to be scared anymore," he said. "You're safe here. What do you say we go get some breakfast?"

Gibbs held his hand out to her and Kellie put her hand in his. The two made their way down to the kitchen where Jenny had made everyone a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit. "Thanks, Jen," Gibbs said appreciatively.

"Anything for you guys," Jenny said leaning in to kiss the top of his head after she put some coffee in front of him. "Kellie, would you like milk or orange juice to go with your breakfast?" Kellie looked at both glasses and pointed at the one with milk in it. Jenny set it down in front of her then patted the top of her head before sitting down at her own place. She knew she still made the little girl nervous because of what her mother had done to her and hoped with some time and a lot of love and patience she could show Kellie she wasn't going to hurt her. This was, without doubt, the hardest child abuse case she'd ever worked.

After breakfast Gibbs and Jenny helped Kellie pack a few of her new toys in a backpack so she wouldn't get bored while they were working then the group headed to the Navy Yard. Gibbs got Kellie settled at the table in Jenny's office then headed down to the bullpen where his agents were all waiting on him.

"What do we got?" he asked laying his overcoat on top of the filing cabinet behind his desk.

"According to several of Ethan's close friends, he was getting ready to divorce his wife and planned on taking his daughter," Tony said.

"Apparently he caught her in bed with another man," Ziva added. "He applied for a desk job that would keep him stateside so he could get custody of the child. He was home on leave from his last tour when he was murdered."

"Abby and I haven't been able to find any records of a Kellie Morrison at any of the schools in DC or the surrounding areas," Tim said. "There are also no medical records for her after the age of five. It's almost like she disappeared off the face of the planet after her father died."

"That gives us motive," Gibbs said, "but it'd be nice to know where that suicide note came from."

"Still working on that, Boss," Tim said.

"Alright," Gibbs said, "I'm with Ducky." He left his agents working in the bullpen while he took the elevator down to autopsy. Jimmy excused himself as soon as Gibbs walked in leaving him alone with Ducky and the corpse he was working on.

"I went over Kellie's medical records like you asked, Jethro," Ducky said, "as well as First Lieutenant Morrison's autopsy report."

"What'd you find?" Gibbs asked leaning against one of the empty tables.

"I cannot add anything to what was already reported on the First Lieutenant's supposed suicide," Ducky said, "and as far as Kellie is concerned, physically she's malnourished but other than that it doesn't appear she was beaten. Her abuse would definitely fall into the categories of neglect and psychological. You can do just as much if not more damage to a child's psyche by locking them in a cold, dark basement and ignoring them as you can beating them, Jethro."

"Why won't she speak?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, that all depends on when and why she stopped speaking," Ducky said. "My guess is she's suppressing grief but without knowing more about the situation I really can't be sure."

"How do I get her to open up?" Gibbs asked taking a drink of his coffee.

"Give her time, Jethro," Ducky answered. "She's been through a lot these past couple days. Let her adjust, settle in to living a normal life and then you might get somewhere. Patience is key here. In the meantime I suggest getting her settled into a routine. Contrary to popular belief among today's parents who just let their children run wild doing whatever they please, a set schedule provides a sense of security for children. Sit down at the table and eat meals together, get her into school, figure out where you're going to send her after school and make sure she's comfortable there. Get her on a homework routine and a bedtime routine. Just knowing what's going on and what's going to happen next can go a long way in making her feel secure and stable."

Gibbs thought over what Ducky had said and it made sense to him. He and Shannon never let Kelly run wild and he didn't plan on letting this Kellie do that either. He thanked the doctor then headed up to Jenny's office to check on his girls. Jenny was busy signing off on case reports while Kellie sat looking at a story book, studying every letter of every word and every detail in the pictures.

"Jen, do you mind calling the elementary school and setting up a meeting for this afternoon?" he asked rubbing Kellie's head as he walked by. "Duck thinks we should get her started on a routine and go ahead and put her into school."

"I think that's a good idea," Jenny agreed. "I'll call and see what I can find out."

Gibbs smiled at Jenny as he moved back over to the table and sat down next to Kellie. "Do you want me to read your book to you?"

Kellie looked up at Gibbs and nodded as she handed her book over to him. She smiled at all the different voices he used as he read and paid close attention as he pointed to the words with his finger. She wanted so badly to learn to read and write and to know her ABCs and 123s. The world was so much bigger than the tiny cage in her basement and there was so much to learn and explore. She felt safe enough with Gibbs to start and even though she wasn't too sure about Jenny, Gibbs trusted her so Kellie thought she might be okay.

Gibbs cell phone rang and Kellie's heart sank. She hoped he didn't have to leave her. "Gibbs," he answered.

"_Hey Boss, McAbby finally managed to hack into Ethan Morrison's computer," _Tony said. _"There's something down here I really think you should see."_

"Be right there, DiNozzo," Gibbs said before closing his phone. "I've got to go back to work, Kiddo," he said turning back to Kellie. "I'll be back in a little while."

Kellie's smile disappeared as Gibbs left again. The stories he read were much more fun than just looking at the pictures and trying to figure out what the words said. Plus all the different voices he did reminded her of when her own father would read to her. The girl peeked over at Jenny and saw she was busy on the phone. She closed her storybook and snuck out of the office in search of Gibbs.

* * *

><p>Gibbs took the stairs down to the bullpen where his entire team was gathered around the plasma. He approached slowly, watching images of Kellie and her father flashing on the screen. Tim and Abby had found home videos on Ethan's computer and they were all gathered around watching.<p>

Gibbs stopped behind the group and watched what looked to be a birthday party. Kellie had a pink hat on her head with My Little Ponies on it and her birthday cake was also in the shape of a pony with a large number 5 candle on it. Everyone sang happy birthday as the little girl stood in front of her father, with his arms wrapped protectively around her. She blew out the candle on the first try and then laughed as everyone cheered for her.

"Do you want to open your presents or eat cake first, Princess?" Ethan asked.

"Presents," Kellie said. "Help me, Daddy!"

The group watched as Ethan lifted Kellie onto his shoulders and whisked her over to the table where her presents were stacked. There wasn't an excessive amount of gifts, a few from family and extended family as well as some from the other children at the party. It seemed to be a small intimate gathering but a joyous occasion for everyone there. It didn't escape Gibbs' attention that Kellie's mother seemed nowhere to be found. If it was Kellie's fifth birthday, Gibbs knew that meant Ethan had died shortly after.

Gibbs felt a sharp poke in his arm as he watched and glanced over at Abby. She pointed behind him and he turned to see Kellie standing there, mesmerized by the images flashing on the screen. Gibbs wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her over in front of him so she could see better.

The next scene on the screen was Ethan teaching Kellie how to ride her two-wheeler without training wheels. Everyone watched as the father took every precaution to make sure his child didn't get hurt. After Kellie had her helmet, elbow and kneepads on, Ethan got her settled on her bike and ran beside her until she built up enough momentum to keep herself upright. He let go of the bike and cheered her on as she pedaled all by herself before weaving into the grass and letting herself fall. Ethan was at her side in an instant scooping her into his arms and praising her for doing such a good job.

"I did it, Daddy!" the little girl said full of excitement. "I did it all by myself! Did you see? Did you see me, Daddy?"

"I saw you, Princess," Ethan said. "I knew you could do it. I'm so proud of you!"

Gibbs and his team stood and watched video after video of Kellie and her father at the playground, opening presents on Christmas morning, on their way to an Easter church service, on the carousel at the fair, Kellie taking her first steps, Kellie cooing at her father when she was a baby, bath time as a baby. Every moment of her first five years seemed to be captured by home movies and downloaded onto her father's computer. The little girl was clearly his pride and joy and the center of his universe.

When the movies were over Abby stopped the video and they all watched as Kellie walked to the plasma screen and rested her hand on the image of her father that was frozen in the plasma screen. Gibbs heard a muffled noise behind him and turned to see Jenny standing there. He had no idea when she had arrived but the tears welling in her eyes told him she'd been there awhile.

"Who is that?" Abby asked kneeling next to Kellie. "Is that Daddy?" She showed Kellie how to sign daddy then watched and smiled as Kellie repeated the motions. Abby couldn't help but pull the child into a hug, forgetting her nervousness around women. Kellie's body stiffened instinctively and Abby cut the hug short, not wanting to scare the girl.

"Were you able to get through to the school?" Gibbs asked, unsure what to say about the home videos.

Jenny nodded her head as she moved next to Gibbs. "We have an appointment at 1:00," she said.

Gibbs looked at his watch then back at Jenny. "We should get going so we can grab some lunch before we have to be over there." He turned his attention to his team standing there waiting for instructions. "You guys grab some lunch then get back to work. See if we can find anything that links the mother to the death." He didn't elaborate too much since Kellie was standing right there but he knew his team understood what he was saying.

"Maybe I shouldn't have called Gibbs down here for that," Tony said sorrowfully.

"He'll be okay," Abby said even though she wasn't completely convinced of that. Anything involving Gibbs' family was heartbreaking and took all Abby's willpower to keep her emotions in check. The death of Kellie's father was turning out to be just as tragic a loss.

Tim and Ziva both stood speechless, unsure of what to say or do.

"I've got it!" Abby said excitedly as if a light bulb had just gone off in her head. "After lunch McGee and I will burn the home videos to DVDs so Kellie can watch them whenever she wants. We can also print out some images so she can have something to hold onto and look at. No child should be without their father." Her voice saddened at the last statement. She'd lost her own father some time ago and still thought of him often. Gibbs certainly helped fill that gap in her life but having visual reminders of the father who raised her also help.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

The school was very understanding of Kellie's situation. They'd never before had an eight year old who'd never had any kind of schooling but everyone was dedicated to helping her make the transition and giving her all the help they could in hopes she would catch up with the other students her age. The principal decided to put her in their smallest second grade classroom so the teacher would have a little extra time to work with her but she also prepared Gibbs and Jenny for the very real possibility of her having to repeat the second grade.

"We're definitely going to be working with her at home as well," Gibbs said. "Is there anything else we can do?"

"You know what, there is something," the principal said as if the thought had just occurred to her. "The elementary education majors over at North Eastern University have the option of tutoring elementary students to earn extra credit. It benefits everyone and it's free of charge. I'm good friends with one of the professors over there; I could get everything set up if you guys are interested."

Gibbs and Jenny looked at each other and nodded. "I definitely think that's something we would be interested in," Jenny said. "Let me leave you my numbers so we can get everything set up."

The principal took Jenny's business card and agreed to call as soon as she found out if there were any students interested in getting extra credit. She took them on a short tour of the school and introduced them to Kellie's new teacher. Kellie didn't seem to be very interested in anything the adults were talking about. She held onto Gibbs' hand and let him lead her around with the others.

The little girl was relieved when they were finally done with the appointment at the school. Her excitement about learning had gone away after she'd watched the videos of her and her dad. Seeing his face and hearing his voice had brought all her sadness and pain to the surface again but she had no idea how to work through it. As they walked through the parking lot to the car, the colors of the world suddenly didn't seem so bright, the noises of nature weren't as cheerful, and the world around her wasn't as interesting. She simply wanted to retreat back to the safety of her cage in the dark basement.

"What do you say we stop and grab a snack on the way back?" Gibbs suggested.

"That sounds like a good idea," Jenny agreed as she turned around in her seat to get Kellie's opinion. Gibbs looked in his rearview mirror and saw the girl staring blankly into space. He'd noticed her change in demeanor during lunch and at the school. He knew she'd had a couple long days and that she was most likely nervous about all the changes happening in her life. Assuming she'd had enough for the day, he decided to drop her and Jenny off at the house then return to the Navy Yard to finish out the work day by himself.

Kellie couldn't help but feel betrayed when Gibbs told her he was leaving her with Jenny for a little while so he could finish up a few things at work. She hated adult work. It had kept her daddy away from her and now it was taking Gibbs away from her too. She almost felt like crying but there were no tears to cry. She hadn't cried in a long time. Instead she retreated up to her room, not even saying goodbye to Gibbs before he left.

"Just give her some time," Jenny encouraged, resting her hands against his chest. "There've been a lot of changes for her over the past couple days and there are a lot more coming up. She needs some time to settle in."

"I know," Gibbs said staring up the stairs. "I just hope we're doing the right thing."

Jenny smiled sympathetically at him then leaned in to kiss him goodbye before he left.

Kellie spent the afternoon alone in her room. She climbed into bed and buried herself under her covers so when Jenny came to check on her she would think she was sleeping and would leave her alone. She didn't feel like talking to anybody or doing anything. She hurt so badly inside and was convinced nothing was ever going to make it better. Nobody understood what she was going through. No one understood her pain. She felt so alone and wanted nothing more than to have her daddy back.

* * *

><p>Gibbs was genuinely touched when his team gave him the DVDs and photos of Kellie and her father to pass along to the little girl. The pictures and home movies he had of Shannon and Kelly had been his lifeline at several points and he hoped the memories of her father would provide the same comfort to Kellie. He was just getting ready to send his team home so he could also head home when Abby called everyone down to her lab.<p>

"I found this in a secret folder on Ethan's computer," she told them. "It was labeled 'Evidence for Divorce' and, well, just watch."

Everyone focused on another of Ethan's home movies as it played out on the plasma screen in Abby's lab. This one appeared to be filmed secretly from a webcam and showcased a nasty verbal altercation between Ethan and Rachel. The team watched as Ethan turned his back to Rachel and the vindictive woman pulled a gun out of her pants and shot the First Lieutenant at point blank range in the head. Just when they thought it couldn't get anymore horrifying, as Rachel moved away from the bedroom door, there was Kellie peeking around the corner, watching everything. She'd seen her father's murder and, unbeknownst to Rachel, Ethan had caught the whole thing on his computer.

"We got her," Gibbs said with a sense of satisfaction in his voice. He leaned in and kissed Abby's cheek. His forensic scientist had done it again. He hadn't been sure how they were going to get justice for First Lieutenant Ethan Morrison but now they had irrefutable evidence that was sure to put Rachel behind bars for the rest of her life.

After closing up their case Gibbs sent everyone home to enjoy their weekend. He collected the DVDs and photographs the team had given him then he also headed out. He was really looking forward to having the weekend off. He would finally be able to give Kellie his undivided attention and spend some time reconnecting with Jenny. He also hoped to be able to spend some time alone in his basement, dealing with his own thoughts and feelings after working a case that hit so close to home but the girls would come first.

* * *

><p>Despite her decision to just pretend to sleep, Kellie had actually fallen asleep sometime in the middle of the afternoon. After watching the home videos earlier in the day, her dreams were plagued with memories of her father, some of them good, some of them horrific images of his bloody body lying lifelessly on his bedroom floor. Nobody knew she'd seen her mother shoot her father, not even her mother. She never told a soul about the most horrible day of her life. It didn't matter anyways; the most important person in her life was gone. Nothing in life mattered much anymore.<p>

"_Why do you look so sad, Princess?"_

_Kellie looked into the darkness of her dream and found the outline of her father. As she floated towards him, he became clearer. "Daddy?"_

"_Kellie," Ethan smiled, "I love you, Baby Girl."_

"_I love you too, Daddy!" Kellie said reaching her hands out towards him._

_Ethan took his daughter's hands in his and squeezed. "I'll always be with you in your heart but right now you have Gibbs in your life. I sent him to you; he's your guardian angel."_

"_I want you, Daddy," Kellie pleaded._

"_I know, Princess," Ethan said, "but until we're together again you have Gibbs. I love you, Kellie. I love you." Ethan's image started fading into the darkness of Kellie's dream. Kellie reached out towards him and called out for him but he was gone._

Gibbs was walking back towards the stairs after having changed when he heard Kellie talking. He quietly entered her room and found her asleep, her arms reaching out in front of her as she called for her father. He could imagine what she was dreaming because he had the same types of dreams. Kellie's grief seemed to mirror his own which scared him. He knew how much pain and heartache he still carried around, even after over twenty years had passed. He had no idea how to help himself let alone this eight year old child.

He sat down in bed next to Kellie and laid her arms back at her sides. "Kellie, wake up, Sweetheart." He watched as her arms stilled and her voice quieted once again before she opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I think you were having a bad dream," he said understandingly.

Kellie sat stiffly as Gibbs pulled her into a hug. He was nice and reminded her a lot of her father but he wasn't her daddy and after seeing Ethan earlier, Kellie just wanted her daddy back.

Gibbs knew the little girl had had a long, rough day. He placed a gentle kiss on top of her head then stood and smiled at her. "Will you help me cook us some dinner?" he asked, hoping that would take her mind off her troubles for at least a little while. "I was thinking spaghetti sounded good. How does that sound to you?"

Kellie shrugged her shoulders indifferently but followed Gibbs down to the kitchen where Jenny was sitting, reading the paper. "Did you have a nice nap, Honey?" she asked.

Gibbs winked at Jenny behind Kellie's back. They both knew the girl was overwhelmed with everything happening around and to her. He pulled out some burger, a box of spaghetti noodles and a jar of sauce then he and Kellie washed their hands and got started on dinner.

D'Arcy showed up after dinner, just as they were finishing up washing and drying the dishes. She apologized for not making it over the previous night as planned but she'd gotten caught up in another case involving a child in crisis. Both Gibbs and Jenny understood the demands of her job and assured her it wasn't a problem. Kellie took one look at the woman and snuck off up to her bedroom. She remembered the lady from the previous day; it was the same lady who was trying to take her away from Gibbs. The little girl didn't understand that D'Arcy was on her side and wanted nothing more than for her to be safe and happy.

Gibbs followed Kellie upstairs and found her hiding in the closet under the comforter from her bed that she'd pulled in with her. "What are you doing in here?" he asked as he removed the blanket from her head and sat down next to her. When Kellie remained silent Gibbs leaned down a little closer to her and gave her a friendly smile. "Talk to me, Kiddo," he said quietly. "What's going on?"

"_Scared,"_ Kellie signed.

"Scared… of D'Arcy?" Gibbs asked trying to figure out why. "Oh, because she was going to take you to a new home yesterday? Is that why?"

Kellie gave a slight nod of her head and Gibbs wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him, holding her tight. "She's not here to take you away, Honey," Gibbs said. "She's here so I can sign some papers that will let me keep you. Do you understand that? She knows that you want to live here but I still have to fill out some paperwork so nobody can ever take you away from me. Okay?"

Kellie relaxed slightly at that. Even though she really just wanted her dad she knew he wasn't coming back so she decided Gibbs' house was the next best place to be.

"You can stay up here and play in your room or you can come downstairs with us, Kiddo," Gibbs said, "it's up to you." He squeezed her close to him one last time and kissed the top of her head before standing up and heading back downstairs. He found Jenny and D'Arcy in the kitchen talking while they waited for the coffee to finish brewing.

"Is Kellie okay?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah," Gibbs said, "I think she was just scared D'Arcy was going to take her away."

"Nope," D'Arcy said, "this is one of the high points of my job. _Not_ having to take a child away but letting them stay somewhere they're comfortable and somewhere I know is safe."

"I can't imagine doing your job," Gibbs commented as he pulled three coffee mugs out of the cupboard.

The adults made small talk for a little while over their coffee, talking about the pressures of their jobs and the joys of happy children. D'Arcy made a few recommendations for getting Kellie on track, much the same as Ducky had made earlier, and was pleasantly surprised to find they'd already enrolled Kellie in school and were meeting with a possible tutor the following day.

Kellie laid at the top of the stairs, trying to listen in on the conversation but couldn't hear much since the adults were in the kitchen. After awhile she decided to sneak downstairs to see what was going on. Gibbs had said the lady wasn't there to take her away and she trusted him so she thought it was safe to go see.

Jenny heard a floorboard in the dining room creak and looked out to find Kellie slowly making her way in. "Hi Honey, would you like some hot cocoa and cookies to snack on?"

Kellie looked around Jenny at Gibbs writing on some paper. D'Arcy smiled warmly at her and waved. Kellie wasn't sure what to think. She looked back at Jenny and nodded. Jenny led her into the kitchen and pulled out the chair next to Gibbs for her to sit down in then got to work on her snack. Gibbs gently nudged her with his elbow then smiled at her, trying to assure her that everything was okay.

After D'Arcy had gone for the evening and Kellie was finished with her snack, Gibbs took the girl into the living room. "Alright, Kiddo," he said, "you and I are going to work on a special project together. I think we should a build a fort for you down here so when you get scared you can go in there and know that you're safe and you don't have to go upstairs and hide in your closet. How does that sound?"

Kellie thought it over for a minute before signing 'yes' as she nodded her head. Gibbs got a few blankets and some extra pillows, moved some of the furniture around a little and collected a few extra supplies then he and Kellie went to work building a fort between the couch and the end table. It was in an out of the way spot where the girl wouldn't feel like she was in the middle of everything and a little dark so she wouldn't feel like everyone could see her. The floor was lined with pillows making it comfortable and she and Gibbs made a trip up to her bedroom and collected a few of her books so she would have something to entertain her when she was in there. When they were done they had a nice sized, safe fort Kellie could retreat to whenever she was feeling scared or just wanted to be alone.

"What do you think?" Gibbs asked. "Do you like it?"

"_Yes,"_ Kellie signed.

"Very nice, guys," Jenny complimented. "I might have to have you build me a fort, Jethro," she teased as she winked at them.

Gibbs smiled at Jenny as he patted Kellie's shoulder. He wanted to provide as much love and comfort as he could so she would know she was safe in his house and that she was loved. He understood all too well the feelings of abandonment that came with losing loved ones. "What do you say we put a movie in?" he suggested.

"Sounds like fun," Jenny said. "Kellie, would you like to choose?"

Kellie decided on _Finding Nemo_ and after the popcorn was popped everyone gathered together on the couch to watch. Gibbs waited until Kellie fell asleep then headed down to the basement. Once he was finally alone, his mind started to process everything that was happening. Not only was he trying to deal with his own loss so close to the anniversary of Shannon and Kelly's deaths, he also had another little girl that reminded him a lot of Kelly who was having a much harder time dealing with her loss.

Gibbs pulled a box off the top shelf then reached behind it and grabbed another box he'd long ago tucked away; a box of his own memories. Inside it was several home videos of him and Shannon and Kelly throughout the years, birthday parties, days at the beach, his homecoming from war, holidays, visits with grandparents; his own little treasure that he kept safely hidden. After watching Kellie and Ethan earlier, his heart ached for his little girl and that was one way for him to feel close to her.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> Thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing, alerting and adding this story to your favorites. You guys are awesome! We're going to be wrapping this story up in the next few chapters but I've got a few more in the works.

Also, a special thanks to _Shesadreamer87 _for inspiring me to write this story and coming up with many of the ideas for it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

When Gibbs disappeared from the living room, Jenny assumed he was just going to use the bathroom and would be right back. Kellie had awakened as soon as he left and despite Jenny's best efforts to comfort, calm and reassure the little girl, it was clear she was still anxious around women. The last thing Jenny wanted to do was make her uncomfortable but she had no idea how to help the eight year old and was beginning to get frustrated with the hopelessness of the situation. Everything she did resulted in failure; physical comfort was rejected, she had no clue how to sign with the girl and nothing she said ever got a response. She wanted so desperately to help but all her efforts seemed to fail.

While Kellie watched the movie, Jenny snuck downstairs to check on Gibbs. She could hear voices and laughter from the top of the stairs. As she descended them, she saw images of Gibbs, Shannon and Kelly on the small TV screen. They were at the beach, building a huge sandcastle. Gibbs was digging a mote to stop the incoming tide from demolishing their creation but it wasn't deep enough and with one wave, the castle was in ruins.

Before Kelly had too much time to be upset about it, Gibbs scooped her up into his arms and blew kisses onto her belly making all kinds of noises. A stream of giggles escaped from the squirming girl's mouth as she tried to escape.

"Are you ready to grill hotdogs?" Gibbs asked.

"S'mores," Kelly said with a smirk very similar Gibbs'.

"Hotdogs first," Gibbs said.

"S'mores first," Kelly challenged.

"Mommy will be upset if we eat dessert first," Gibbs whispered.

"I heard that, Jethro!" Shannon called from her place by the cooler. "Don't make me the bad guy."

Gibbs winked and smiled at his wife as he put Kelly down on the beach in front of him. "Ok," he relented, "s'mores first then we'll roast hot dogs."

"Yay!" Kelly cheered as she danced around her father.

"You spoil her," Shannon said moving over to her husband. She cuddled into him as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her.

"Ew!" Kelly sang. "Get a room!"

"I love you," Gibbs whispered to Shannon before turning and chasing a giggling Kelly down the beach.

Jenny couldn't imagine the toll this case was taking on him. A child the same age as his daughter, with the same name, showed up on the anniversary of his daughter's death. She wasn't sure how it would affect her and although she would never say it out loud, she knew she wasn't as strong as Gibbs was. She was beginning to realize she had no idea how to help either Gibbs or Kellie and the feeling of helplessness was starting to take a toll on her.

"What's going on?" she asked innocently.

"Nothing," Gibbs said unintentionally coming across as if her presence was bothering him.

Jenny misread his tone and instinctively lit into to him. "You're not the only one who's hurting, you know."

"You don't understand, Jen," Gibbs said calmly.

Jenny noted his calm tone but the built up frustration over the past days had already taken over. "But _she_ does!" she yelled pointing towards the stairs. "Kellie's just as lost and alone as you are. She needs you, Jethro. She doesn't seem to want to have anything to do with me."

Kellie's eyes widened as the screaming started. Jenny was yelling at Gibbs but she didn't understand why. Was it her fault? Did she do something wrong? Was Jenny going to hurt Gibbs or, even worse, would she kill him like her own mother had done? She sounded very angry. As soon as she heard her name she disappeared into her fort and sat in the darkness, hugging her knees and rocking herself back and forth. She decided to cover her ears in case there was a gunshot. The sound of the shot that ended her father's life echoed in her head for months. She couldn't shake the haunted feeling that followed.

Jenny calmed herself as she climbed the stairs, not wanting to scare Kellie. She knew she'd blown up at Gibbs for no good reason. She'd let the stress and pressure of the situation get the better of her and had taken it out on him which made her feel like even more of a failure. Instead of helping she had only hurt the situation. She huffed a heavy sigh as she threw her head back in defeat and closed her eyes. After a few deep breaths she went back into the living and realized Kellie had gone into hiding.

"_How stupid could you have been?" _she thought. She realized Kellie had most likely heard the entire argument and that had not done anything to help her win favor with the child. She knelt at the entrance of the fort and found Kellie rocking herself back and forth.

"Kellie, Honey, I'm sorry," Jenny said. "Everything is okay. Jethro and I just had a little misunderstanding but everything is okay." She slowly stuck her hand into the fort but Kellie panicked and scooted as far away from her as she could, shaking in fear.

Jenny closed her eyes and dropped her head into her hands. The entire evening had gone sour and fast. She decided to call in the reinforcements. She was willing to admit when she needed help and boy did she ever need help. Gibbs was sitting in the basement, no doubt mad at her, and Kellie was cowering in her fort, scared to death. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Ducky's cell phone number.

* * *

><p>"Oh Ducky, I screwed everything up," she said as the older man hung his coat in the coat closet. "I yelled at Jethro for no reason at all and scared Kellie to death. Neither of them will talk to me. I've failed them both."<p>

"Now, now my dear," Ducky said resting his hands on her arms, "you haven't failed either one of them. We'll get this all straightened out in no time at all. You'll see. Why don't you go downstairs and have a word with Jethro and I'll check on Kellie."

"Thank you, Ducky," Jenny said.

It had been almost an hour since Jenny had last left the basement. She slowly made her way down the stairs, trying to figure out what to say and how to fix things. The home movies Gibbs had been watching were over and she saw him sitting quietly at his worktable staring at a photograph.

"Jethro," she said quietly, hoping he wouldn't immediately kick her out, "I'm sorry. I just, I see you hurting so bad and I know Kellie is struggling and I want to help, I want to fix things, that's my nature but I don't have a clue what to do or how to help. Everything I say or do seems to only make the situation worse. I got frustrated and I took it out on you. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Gibbs laid the photograph of himself, Shannon and Kelly down on the table then looked up at Jenny. He felt guilty and partially responsible for the situation as well. "The hardest thing about this situation is there's nothing you can say or do to make it better, Jen," he said quietly. "Remember how you felt when you lost your father?" Jenny nodded and Gibbs could see on her face that she understood where he was going. "Was there anything anyone could say to make you feel better?"

"I think I understand now," Jenny said quietly. She'd been so focused on trying to take care of them, she hadn't connected the dots in the way Gibbs had. "I'll try to do better."

Gibbs gave Jenny a small smile before pulling her into a hug. "You're doing fine, Jen," he whispered into her hair. "Just having you here is helpful. You don't have to try to fix anything." He kissed the top of her head then just held her close to him and gently rocked her back and forth.

* * *

><p>Ducky realized almost as soon as he was down on the floor in front of the fort that Kellie was having a panic attack. She was sweating and shaking as she rocked herself back and forth. She was gasping for air and pulling at her t-shirt as if she were choking. He reached his hand in and gently held her wrist to feel for a pulse. Her heart was racing and her teary eyes appeared to be glazed over as if she wasn't really in there.<p>

"Kellie, it's Ducky, I work with Gibbs, can you come out here with me?" When the girl didn't respond or make any movement to come out he reached his arms in to try to pull her out but the girl began flailing her arms violently, forcing Ducky to back away.

Ducky stood and headed to the top of the basement stairs. "Jethro, I think we need you up here."

Gibbs didn't waste any time hurrying up the stairs with Jenny hot on his heels. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Kelly's having a panic attack," Ducky said. He followed as Gibbs headed for the living room. "I tried to get her out to calm her but she started to get violent. Whatever is going on in her mind is very real to her."

Gibbs dropped to his knees at the entrance of the fort he'd built earlier that evening and found Kellie really struggling. 'It's okay, Sweetheart," he said as he reached his arms in. He was met with the same violent thrashing but managed to get the girl out and wrapped his arms around her. "Shh, it's okay. Everything's okay. You're safe." Gibbs swayed the little girl back and forth as he sat on the floor with her in his lap, whispering words of encouragement to her. Jenny sat in front of Gibbs, rubbing Kellie's back but letting him do all the talking.

"You're doing good, Jethro," Ducky encouraged. "When someone has a panic attack, they usually feel as if they're going to die. Just keep encouraging her that everything is going to be okay."

"You're okay, Baby," Gibbs said kissing her sweaty forehead. "Everybody's okay."

Kellie finally managed to calm herself down and sat limply in Gibbs' lap. Ducky checked her pulse again and nodded at Gibbs that it had returned to normal. After Kellie had settled down and Ducky was sure Gibbs and Jenny were okay he headed out. His work there was done for the evening.

Gibbs smiled over at Jenny hoping she wouldn't take what he was getting ready to ask her the wrong way. "Jen, can you give Kellie and I a minute to talk please?" Jenny nodded then stood from the floor. "I'm not trying to push you away," he assured her.

"I know," Jenny said. "Take your time." She headed upstairs to lie down and read and Gibbs turned his attention back to Kellie.

"Let's you and I talk for minute," he said. He pulled his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans, took out the picture of Shannon and Kelly and handed it to Kellie. "See them? That right there is Shannon and that little girl is my Kelly. They're my family. Shannon was my wife and Kelly was my daughter but one day a very bad man killed them, just like your mom killed your daddy." He watched as Kellie studied the picture of his family. "I loved them very much, just like you loved your dad. We're not all that different, Kiddo. I understand how you feel after losing your dad. I know how bad it hurts, I know you wish he could come back, I bet you even have dreams about him, am I right?"

Kellie glanced up at Gibbs then looked back at the picture. She was surprised to learn he'd lost his loved ones, even more surprised that he seemed to know exactly how she was feeling. She did have the dreams, she did miss her dad—more than anything and it did still hurt, even three years later. It hurt especially bad after seeing his face and hearing his voice. She felt so close but so far away.

"I miss Daddy," she said quietly, her voice shaky.

Gibbs looked down at her, surprised that she'd spoken. "I know you do, Baby," he said before kissing the top of her head. Kellie handed the photograph back to Gibbs then rested her head against his chest.

Gibbs felt a sense of accomplishment at the getting the girl to speak. He figured he must be doing something right. "Even though everything is a little bit scary right now, you're going to be okay," he told her. "Your mom can't hurt you anymore. You never have to see her again. You're going to get a new life and I know I'm not your dad but I'm going to take real good care of you. I promise." He ran his hand over her long brown hair as she rested in his lap. "You know what else? Jenny's going to help take care of you too. Are you maybe a little bit scared of her because of what your mom did to you?"

Kellie shrugged her shoulders then nervously traced the logo on the t-shirt Gibbs was wearing with her finger.

"Kellie, I've known Jenny for a very long time and she is a wonderful person. I think if you give her a chance, you're really going to like her."

"She yelled at you," Kelly said, her eyes diverted to the pattern her finger was tracing.

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said, "and sometimes I yell at her too but you know what? She came downstairs and apologized and then we talked and now, everything is okay."

"Is she gonna shoot you?" Kellie asked looking into Gibbs' eyes.

Gibbs smiled down at Kellie as he moved a strand of her hair out of her face. He could think of more than a few jokes to make but knew that with the seriousness of the situation Kellie had just come out of that wouldn't be a good idea. "No Kiddo, she's not going to shoot me."

He grabbed the bag off the coffee table containing the DVDs and photographs the team had made for her. "Tony, Abby, Tim and Ziva made you something this afternoon. Want to see it?"

Kellie looked at Gibbs curiously as she sat up in his lap. Unsure of what they possibly could've made her, she nodded her head. Gibbs handed her the bag and watched as she pulled out a handful of DVDs. "Those are some home movies of you and your daddy so when you get lonely and you're missing him, you can pull those out and watch them."

Kellie smiled and reached her hand in to pull out the large envelope that was in the bottom of the bag. She opened it carefully and pulled out the stack of photographs. The smile that lit up her face was priceless. Gibbs watched as she flipped through the photographs of her and her father. "We'll see if we can get some picture frames and hang those up in your room," he said.

"Thank you," Kellie said with the biggest smile Gibbs had ever seen. She wrapped her arms around Gibbs and gave him a hug.

"You're welcome, Baby," Gibbs said hugging her back. "Now, I think it's just about time for you to go to bed, Munchkin. Why don't you go hop in the bathtub then we'll read you a bedtime story and tuck you in."

Kellie nodded as she stood and headed for the stairs. Gibbs took a deep breath then picked up the photograph of his family that he'd shown Kellie. After looking at it for moment and smiling at his late wife and daughter he tucked it back inside his wallet and headed upstairs to find Jenny.

"Are you okay?" he asked sliding into bed behind her and pressing his body against hers.

Jenny smiled as she put her book aside. "I'm fine," she said. "What about you?"

Gibbs nodded his head then kissed the back of Jenny's neck. "I think Kellie was afraid that because we had a little argument that you were going to kill me," he said. "Abby found a video hidden on Ethan's computer that showed Rachel killing him after they'd had an argument. Kellie saw the whole thing."

"Oh no," Jenny groaned. "I must've screwed everything up."

Gibbs hushed Jenny as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I think that despite everything that happened tonight, we made progress. We had a good little talk downstairs."

Jenny gasped quietly at the news. "Did she speak?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said. "It's going to take time and patience but we'll learn how to help her."

When Kellie was done with her bath she headed into Gibbs and Jenny's room with a story book. She looked on curiously as the two sat wrapped in each other's arms. Her mom and dad never sat like that but her dad cuddled with her all the time and it always made her feel loved.

Gibbs turned around when he saw Kellie's shadow and smiled at her. Jenny scooted over in the bed and Gibbs patted the area between them. Kellie slowly walked over to him. He took the book out of her hand and gave it to Jenny then lifted her into the bed and put her down between him and Jenny.

Kellie looked up at him as if she had a question while Gibbs pulled the blankets over her legs. "What's on your mind, Kiddo?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her.

Kellie adjusted herself so she was comfortable then peeked nervously over at Jenny. When Gibbs squeezed her shoulder she looked up at him. "A-are you m-mad at me?" she asked.

"What?" Gibbs asked wondering if he had done something to give her that impression. "No Sweetheart. Why would I be mad at you?"

"'Cause my-my n-name is Kellie," she stuttered.

Gibbs gave Kellie a reassuring smile before kissing her forehead. "I'm not mad at all, Munchkin," he said. "That just means I have two special Kelly's in my life. Now, what do you say we have Jenny read us a bedtime story?"

"Kay," Kellie said quietly.

Jenny scooted closer to Gibbs and Kellie and read the book the girl had brought to them while Gibbs cuddled with her. Kellie half listened to the story and half watched Jenny, looking for any signs that the woman was still angry and might blow up.

When the story was over Gibbs carried Kellie down the hall and into her room followed by Jenny. They tucked her into bed and each kissed her forehead then left her alone to sleep and headed back to their room.

"Should I back off with her?" Jenny asked. "I don't want to be too pushy or scare her."

"I think you're doing just fine," Gibbs said as he changed into his pajamas. "I've never dealt with a situation like this before but she's not going to get to know you and trust you if you're standoffish. "

"I'm just trying to figure out the right balance of being there for her but not pushing her too much," Jenny said.

"Jen," Gibbs said as he wrapped his arms around her from behind, "try not to over think it. Just love her. Kids can sense sincerity. It may take a little time but everything's going to turn out okay."

"Thanks, Jethro," she said snuggling into him. "I just don't want to screw it up, you know. I don't want to let her down."

"When it comes to raising kids everybody screws something up," Gibbs said, "but you won't let her down. You're going to be a great mom." Jenny smiled at that word. She'd never thought of herself as a mom before. She'd never been a mom before. The implications of it both excited and scared her. "Come on," Gibbs said taking her hand, "let's go have some beers and relax in front of the TV."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

Gibbs, Jenny and Kellie sat around the dining room table playing Candy Land on Saturday morning. Jessica, the young lady Jenny had called as a possibility for a tutor for Kellie, was scheduled to drop by and meet them and they thought a board game might be a fun way to get to know each other. They also took the opportunity to work with Kellie on her colors and counting. Although the eight year old had never spent a day in school she seemed to be catching on rather quickly but both Gibbs and Jenny knew she had a long, uphill battle ahead of her.

Jessica arrived at Gibbs' house five minutes early. Gibbs welcomed her into his home and led her into the dining room where Jenny and Kellie were setting the board up to start a new game. While they played, Jessica told them a little bit about herself, her life, her dreams and ambitions as well as her career goals then Gibbs and Jenny filled her in on some of the basic details of what Kellie had gone through.

Jessica was sure she could help the little girl and seemed to be willing to accept the challenge. Gibbs and Jenny left Jessica in the dining room with Kellie while they headed into the kitchen to refill everyone's coffee and talk privately.

"Are you excited to start school?" Jessica asked as they continued playing their game.

"A little scared," Kellie admitted as she drew the next card in the pile. "Purple?" she asked showing Jessica the card.

"Yep," Jessica answered, "that's purple. Everybody is a little scared on the first day of school but you're going to love it. You get to meet lots of new friends and do all kinds of fun things."

Jenny rested her hand against Gibbs' chest as they stood in the kitchen and listened to Kellie and Jessica talking. "She must not be afraid of Jessica," Jenny whispered.

"Maybe because she's closer to her age than we are," Gibbs reasoned. "I think Jessica might be a good fit."

"Me too," Jenny agreed. "Kellie seems to be okay around her. She seems like a nice, trustworthy young lady who has her head on straight and her life together. Let's give it a shot."

They headed back into the dining room and Jenny handed Jessica her coffee before sitting down. Gibbs put the sugar in front of her then tousled Kellie's hair before he took his seat.

"If you're up to the challenge, Jessica, I think Jen and Kellie and I would be grateful for your help," Gibbs said.

"Really?" Jessica asked. "I'd like to very much, Agent Gibbs. Thank you so much."

"I just wish there was a way we could pay you," Jenny said.

"I can't accept any money," Jessica said firmly. "I'll get credit for it at school though. That's just as good as money."

"Maybe there's another way we could do this," Gibbs said. "Jen and I have to work until at least 1700 hours most days, sometimes later. What do you think about babysitting? And then we could pay you for that."

Jessica's face blushed as she looked shyly at Gibbs. "I uh, I don't know what time that is."

"That's 5:00," Jenny said with a smile. "Sometimes Jethro forgets not everybody knows military time."

"Habit," Gibbs said.

"I have a night class on Tuesdays so I couldn't babysit then but I'd be available every other night," Jessica said.

The group all agreed to the arrangement and Jessica was especially grateful for the opportunity to practice tutoring and secure a job. She thought the Gibbses seemed like a nice family and was excited to be able to help Kellie. They decided to have her start on Wednesday, knowing they would want to pick Kellie up from school themselves on Monday. After Jessica and Kellie finished their game of Candy Land, Jessica headed home and Gibbs, Jenny and Kellie got ready to go to the grocery store.

* * *

><p>Gibbs, Jenny and Kellie decided to spend the evening at home relaxing. Gibbs sat in corner of the couch with his feet propped up on the coffee table, reading the newspaper and drinking his coffee while Jenny sat next to him watching TV and Kellie played on the floor in front of them with the set of plastic horses and stable Jenny had picked out for her.<p>

When Gibbs was done reading he laid the paper aside, wrapped his arm around Jenny and pulled her close to him. Jenny smiled at him then nuzzled into his neck inhaling the scent of his aftershave mixed with coffee and sawdust. Kellie watched them out of the corner of her eye, curious about what was going on. She stood in front of them with questioning eyes as they smiled back at her.

"You want to cuddle?" Gibbs asked patting his leg. Kellie turned around and sat down on Gibbs' lap. Gibbs pulled her onto his lap then wrapped his arm around her waist and Jenny rested her arm across Gibbs' shoulders. "You know what I could go for right now?" Gibbs asked nudging Jenny.

"Hmm?" Jenny hummed, enjoying the family bonding moment.

"A cupcake," Gibbs said with an innocent smile.

Jenny looked over at him, knowing that was his way of asking her to make some. "I don't know," she said winking at Gibbs behind Kellie's back, "I might need some help."

Kellie looked back at Jenny then at Gibbs. Both smiled at her. She wanted to ask if she could watch but was afraid they would say no. Instead she just laid back against Gibbs' chest.

"Would you like to help me make some cupcakes, Sweetheart?" Jenny asked.

Kellie whipped her head around in Jenny's direction. Was she talking to her? Asking her if she wanted to help? She glanced over at Gibbs for reassurance then nodded at Jenny. She would've been more than happy just to be allowed to watch. She couldn't believe she was going to get to help.

"Alright, why don't you clean up your horses and wash your hands then we'll make some cupcakes," Jenny said.

Jenny headed into the kitchen to gather the needed ingredients, pans, and utensils while Kellie cleaned up her toys and got washed up. Gibbs smiled as he put his hands behind his head and rested it on the back of the couch. He closed his eyes, pleased with the way the day had gone. Kellie finally seemed to be warming up to Jenny.

When Kellie was done cleaning up her horses she looked over at Gibbs and saw him relaxed on the couch. She flopped herself down on his chest and wrapped her arms around him. Gibbs, surprised at the show of affection, returned her hug and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Sweetheart," he said before kissing her again.

Kellie hurried down the hall to the downstairs bathroom to wash her hands then headed into the kitchen.

"What kind of cupcakes would you like?" Jenny asked holding out a box of chocolate cake mix and a box of yellow cake mix.

Kellie thought for a minute before making up her mind. "I think he should pick since he's the one that's gonna eat it," she said pointing towards the living room.

"We're going to make enough cupcakes for everybody, Sweetie," Jenny said, "but if you want Jethro to pick, that's fine."

Kellie took the boxes from Jenny and headed into the living room. "What one?" she asked, handing Gibbs both boxes.

Gibbs decided on yellow cupcakes with chocolate frosting and after a kiss on the cheek, Kellie headed back into the kitchen. She and Jenny measured, poured and mixed until the batter was smooth. With Jenny's help, Kellie divided the batter into the cupcake trays then watched as Jenny put the trays in the preheated oven.

Gibbs appeared in the kitchen just in time to snatch the beaters out of the mixer. He gave one to Kellie to lick and kept the other for himself after Jenny assured him she didn't want it. He and Kellie sat down at the small table in the kitchen and licked the beaters while Jenny ran some dishwater. When he was done licking the beater, Gibbs took over washing the dishes so Jenny could have a break.

They sent Kellie up to take a bath while the cupcakes baked and cooled, then they frosted them together. After everybody had two cupcakes for a snack, Gibbs and Jenny took Kellie upstairs and they all squeezed into her bed together to read a bedtime story. Kellie leaned peacefully against Gibbs while he read. She thought he was the best story teller ever, with the exception of her own father. She giggled at the funny voices he made as she looked at all the pictures and studied the letters and the words.

After story time, they tucked her into bed, each kissed her goodnight then left her alone to sleep. Gibbs headed down the hall to his room with Jenny following behind him. She watched as he undid his belt, unfastened his jeans and dropped them to the floor.

"What are we doing, Jethro?" she asked.

Gibbs looked up at her then pulled open his dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of sleep pants. "Uh, I'm changing into something a little more comfortable and you're standing there watching me," he answered.

Jenny cocked her head at him, silently asking for a serious answer. They'd already slept together, they fought like lovers, they flirted, they had deep conversations but now there was a child involved in their complicated relationship. A cat and mouse game was fine when it was just the two of them but it wasn't fair for Kellie.

Gibbs sighed, knowing they needed to talk about it. After pulling on his pajama pants he propped himself up against the headboard of his bed. Jenny settled in next to him and waited for him to speak.

"What do you want to be doing?" he asked, looking over at her.

She hated the way he deflected questions he didn't want to answer but two could play that game. "What do _you_ want to be doing?"

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders as he looked at the moon outside his bedroom window. He was never any good at talking about his feelings. "All I know is you followed me home one night like a little lost puppy dog and I took you in," he joked.

Jenny swatted his chest as she laughed. "Come on, Jethro," she said getting serious again. "There's an eight year sleeping in the next room. She deserves better than our complicated history. We need to sort things out, figure out what's going on, you know."

Gibbs was quiet for a moment, deep in thought, searching for something to say. "I don't know what to say, Jen" he finally admitted as he stared off into space.

"Well," Jenny said thinking over her words very carefully, "I would like it very much if you would give me another chance. I know I hurt you when I walked out on you in Paris and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Life is too short to hold onto all the wrongs that have been done to us and all the things that have hurt us," Gibbs said. "You're forgiven." He wrapped his arms around Jenny and pulled her close to him then kissed her head.

Jenny rested her head against his chest. She felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off her shoulders. "Will you give me another chance?" she asked. "Will you give us another chance?"

Gibbs started running his hands over her back as he held her. "As long as you promise not to run away again," he said.

Jenny lifted herself up and looked into his eyes, hoping he could see the honesty in her heart. "I promise," she said. Gibbs leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers, wasting no time before deepening the kissing.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mom. Mom. Mommy!"<em>

Jenny thought she was dreaming when she heard the quiet voice in the middle of the night. She didn't respond until she felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her awake.

"Kellie, Honey, what's wrong? What are you doing up?" When she didn't get a response, Jenny turned on the bedside lamp. She could tell by the girl's eyes that Kellie was out of it. At first Jenny thought she was sleepwalking but as she looked her over, she realized something wasn't right. Kellie's face was beet red and she'd thrown up all down the front of her pajamas.

"Are you not feeling well?" she asked sitting up in bed. She rested her hand against Kellie's forehead and it was clear the little girl had a fever. "Let's get you cleaned up, Sweetie."

The two went into Kellie's room and Jenny realized the girl had thrown up all over her sheets and blankets. She felt bad she hadn't wakened before and been there to hold Kellie while she was sick.

"I'm sorry, Mom," Kellie said. "I didn't mean to."

Jenny looked at the little girl cowering in front of her. She wasn't sure how out of it Kellie really was. Did the little girl think she was her real mom and was going to beat her for getting sick? Did Kellie realize where she was and who she was with but cower in fear out of habit?

"I didn't mean to," Kellie repeated, slurring her words slightly.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Sweetie," Jenny assured her. "Let's get you changed into some clean jammies." She changed the delusional child into some clean clothes then took her back into her bedroom.

"Sorry," Kellie whispered. "Are you gonna hit me?"

"Oh Honey, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Jenny assured her, "and I'm not going to hit you. That's what bad mommies do. Do you know what good mommies do with sick munchkins?" Kellie shook her head, nervous about what the answer was. She backed away slightly when Jenny bent down, but instead of hitting her, the girl was surprised to find loving arms wrapped around her and a kiss on her forehead.

"Jen?" Gibbs mumbled only half awake.

"Kellie's sick, Jethro," Jenny said. "Her bedding needs to be thrown in the wash and she might need to go the Emergency Room. She's really warm."

Gibbs sat up in bed and looked over at Jenny and Kellie. He walked over to where they were standing and placed a kiss on Kellie's forehead. "You do have a fever, Kiddo," he said gently ruffling her hair. "There's a thermometer in the bathroom down the hall, Jen. Why don't you take her temperature and I'll go clean up in her room."

"Okay," Jenny said. This was a whole new experience for her and she was starting to go into panic mode. She was relieved Gibbs was up and able to stay calm and give her direction. She was so panicked she was ready to call 911.

Gibbs ran his hand over Kellie's cheek as he walked by her to go take care of her sheets. Jenny hurried out of the room to take Kellie's temperature then realized she'd forgotten to bring Kellie with her. She calmed herself as she returned to the room to get the girl.

"Can you come with me, Kellie?" she asked. "We're going to take your temperature."

Gibbs was downstairs putting Kellie's sheets in the washing machine when Jenny hurried in. "Jethro, her fever is 102.4. I think we should take her to the hospital right away."

Gibbs smiled as he took the thermometer out of Jenny's hand. "Jen, relax, she's going to be okay. Kids get sick all the time. It's probably just a flu bug."

"But 102.4 is really high, isn't it?"

"It's high," Gibbs said. "I'll run to the store real quick and get some children's fever reducer but you need to calm down because if you're panicking, she's going to panic. Okay?"

"Okay," Jenny said. She took a few deep breaths then let Gibbs lead her into the living room. She sat down on the couch and Kellie sat down next to her. While Jenny was cuddling the little girl into her side, Gibbs retrieved a large bowl from the kitchen in case she had to throw up again and a small glass of water. He set the bowl down next to Kellie, put the water on the coffee table in front of them then covered both of them up with a blanket. He turned on a movie to keep them occupied then hurried upstairs to get changed.

"Ok girls," he said as he put his coat on, "I'll be right back." He leaned in and gave them each a kiss on the forehead then headed out the front door.

Jenny cuddled Kellie in closer to her and smiled when the little girl rested her head on her shoulder. "Do you want to try to drink a little bit of water?" she asked. "I don't want you to get dehydrated."

Before Kellie could respond, her stomach started gurgling again. She stood and hurried down the hall to the bathroom, making it just in time to finish emptying her stomach into the toilet. Jenny kneeled behind her, holding her hair out of the way and running her hand soothingly over the girl's back. After a couple dry heaves, Kellie was finished.

Jenny was surprised at how naturally the mothering instinct seemed to come to her. Once she'd calmed herself down, she was able to provide the comfort and care Kellie needed. She gave the little girl a few sips of water then they cuddled together under the blanket again and waited for Gibbs to return home.

Kellie figured out as long as she stayed perfectly still her stomach was okay for the time being. She focused all her attention on the cartoon Gibbs had turned on, trying to forget about how much her stomach hurt and how nauseous she felt. With her head propped up on Jenny's shoulder, her eyes started to fall closed again. She dozed off and on until Gibbs returned with some medicine.

"Alright Sweetheart," he said kneeling in front of her, "can you sit up and take this for me? Drink it real slow."

Kellie did as Gibbs said then stayed sitting up for a moment, waiting in case she had to hurry off to the bathroom again.

"Do you want to stay up and watch TV or would you rather go back upstairs and lie down?" Jenny asked.

Kellie thought the decision over for a moment. She knew if she laid down her stomach was going to start hurting really bad again and she'd already thrown up all over her bed. At least the TV was distracting her from how uncomfortable she was. "Watch TV," she said around a yawn, "but I'm really cold now."

"I think you have the chills, Sweetie," Jenny said. "Come here, I'll keep you warm."

She cuddled back into Jenny and Gibbs wrapped them in a blanket again. He put the medicine away in the kitchen then sat down on the couch with them and rubbed Kellie's back while she rested on Jenny's chest. After her chills eased, Kellie couldn't keep her eyes open any longer and gave in to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note/Rant:** To the reviewer who has gone from simply being obnoxious to constantly harassing me (and others—from what I can tell): this site is here for fun. Although we should always be striving to push ourselves and do the best we can, mistakes are inevitable. Most authors, me included, welcome constructive criticism (CONSTRUCTIVE being the key word!) and LOVE hearing from our readers but leaving reviews solely for the purpose of pointing out every single spelling/grammatical mistake you can find is unnecessary.

You're doing more harm than good because reviewers like you make people afraid to share their stories with us and I enjoy reading other people's work. I could care less if there are a few mistakes. It saddens me to think about all the wonderful stories we're missing out on because people are intimidated by others searching their stories for mistakes. I am asking you to please stop. If you're unable to enjoy a story because of the mistakes then it's probably time to move on to another story.

To the rest of you guys: I appreciate each and every one of you. Whether you're quietly observing or leaving reviews & sending messages, I'm honored that you've taken the time to read my story. Thank you for reading and for being patient with my rant.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Nine<strong>

Everybody was up and down off and on all night. Kellie would go from being freezing cold and shivering uncontrollably to burning hot and sweating profusely. She made several more trips to the bathroom, even though there was nothing left for her small body to get rid of.

By the time morning rolled around, she was so exhausted she just felt like crying but her body was too drained of energy to even to do that. Her stomach had decided it wanted food and was growling loudly at her. Gibbs put some dry cheerios in a cereal bowl, hoping she could keep them down along with the water Jenny was giving her in small quantities to keep her from getting dehydrated.

After breakfast, Kellie collapsed onto Jenny on the couch and fell asleep, unable to keep her eyes open any longer. Gibbs and Jenny waited until they were sure she wasn't going to throw up her breakfast then Gibbs carried her upstairs and laid her down in the middle of his bed. He and Jenny climbed into bed on either side of her and both quickly joined Kellie in sleep, exhausted from the long night.

* * *

><p>The group slept peacefully until right around noon when Kellie started squirming around in the bed. When Gibbs rested his hand on her forehead to check her fever, Kellie opened her eyes and looked up at him.<p>

"Good morning, Sunshine," he said. "How do you feel?"

"I think my tummy is hungry," Kellie said as she rolled over closer to Gibbs.

Gibbs wrapped his arm around her and pulled her into his side then leaned down and kissed the top of her head. It appeared her fever was finally staying down. "What is your tummy hungry for?"

Kellie smiled at Gibbs and shrugged her shoulders. She had never been allowed to choose what she wanted to eat before. She either ate whatever her mother put in the basement for her or she didn't eat at all.

"Hmm," Gibbs hummed, "how about some chicken noodle soup? Do you think your tummy would like that?"

Kellie nodded her head. She would have been happy with just about anything but chicken noodle soup sounded really good.

Jenny started to wake when she heard Gibbs and Kellie talking. She was still a little tired and more than a little sore but felt better after she stretched. She rolled over to face Gibbs and Kellie then ran her hand lovingly over Gibbs' cheek and through Kellie's hair. "Are you feeling better after getting some rest?"

"Yeah," Kellie replied quietly.

"I'm happy to hear that, Honey," Jenny said.

"We're getting ready to have some chicken noodle soup, Jen," Gibbs said. "Do you want some?"

"Mmm, yes please," Jenny said, "that sounds good."

* * *

><p>Much of Sunday was spent lounging on the couch. Kellie slept for the majority of the day after being up most of the night throwing up. She woke to eat a few crackers and some more soup for dinner then sat up with Gibbs and Jenny on the couch to watch <em>The Little Mermaid<em> before bed. As the movie got closer to the end, the girl seemed to be getting some of her energy back. Her fever had been down all day without the help of medicine since they'd awakened around lunchtime, the chills had passed and she hadn't vomited since the early morning hours. It appeared she'd just had a 24 hour bug.

"Okay Honey," Jenny said when the movie was over, "let's go get you in the bathtub."

"Is it bedtime now?" Kellie asked.

"Pretty soon," Jenny said. "You've got school tomorrow."

"I don't think I want to go," Kellie said nervously.

"You're going to do just fine, Kiddo," Gibbs assured her. "You have a very nice teacher, you're going to make a lot of new friends and you're going to get to do all kinds of fun things."

"And either Jethro or I will be there to pick you up when school is over," Jenny assured her.

"Is somebody gonna go with me?" Kellie asked.

Gibbs cuddled the little girl into his side and kissed the top of her head. "I'm going to go with you and walk you to your classroom," he answered. He and Jenny had already decided he would be the one to drop her off on her first day since Kellie seemed to have the strongest bond with him. They hoped that the trust the two shared would help reassure Kellie that everything was going to be okay.

Kellie took Jenny's hand and let her lead her upstairs to the bathroom for her bath. All of a sudden she wasn't feeling too well anymore but this time it was because of her nerves, not the stomach virus that had been plaguing her all day.

"Okay, Sweetie," Jenny said, "I'm going to leave you to get your bath while I go make up your bed for you. Jethro washed your sheets and your pajamas so everything is fresh and clean."

"Okay," Kellie said quietly as she pulled her shirt over her head.

"Try not to worry about school," Jenny said. "Everybody's nervous on their first day but you're going to have a lot of fun. You'll see."

"And I get to come here when it's over?" she asked.

"Of course," Jenny said, "where else would you go?"

Kellie shrugged her shoulders and let Jenny kiss the top of her head while she dropped her pants. She climbed into the bathtub and turned the water off as Jenny left to make her bed for her.

After Kellie's bath time and a snack of dry toast and some juice, Gibbs and Jenny climbed into bed with her for story time. Kellie felt safe and protected and surrounded by love. Both Gibbs and Jenny were taking an active interest in her wellbeing which was something she'd never experienced before. Her father had always loved her but her mother never seemed to want much to do with her. Now she had two parent figures and they both seemed to love her.

* * *

><p>Gibbs parked the car out front of Kellie's new school, turned it off and got out. Kellie sat perfectly still in the backseat, not making any effort to move. Gibbs opened the door and peeked in at her. "Are you coming?" he asked grabbing her backpack from the floorboard next to her.<p>

"I think I will just stay here," Kellie said.

Gibbs couldn't help but smile at that. "Nice try." He wished he could take the fear away, take the burden on himself, but he knew if he could just get her through her first day that everything would be okay. "Come on, Kiddo, let's get this over with. The sooner we go in there, the sooner you'll see that everything is going to be just fine."

Kellie reluctantly slid out of the car and stood next to Gibbs. Gibbs helped her get her backpack on, took her hand and led her towards the school. As they walked, she started moving slower and slower until she finally came to a stop. Gibbs knew standing in the parking lot and talking to her wasn't going to do much good. He had to get her into the school and put an end to the anticipation that was building inside her. He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the school.

Happy children filled the halls with fun conversations and laughing as they milled around trying to get to their classrooms. Gibbs dodged and weaved through the young crowd while Kellie hid her face in his shoulder. When he finally made it to her classroom he put the girl down and let her hold onto his hand as they entered. They found a middle aged teacher who introduced himself as Mr. Jacobs. There were a handful of students already at their desks but for the most part the room was empty.

"Kellie, I have a new friend I'd like you to meet," Mr. Jacobs said with a smile. "She's a little bit shy, like you but I think you guys will get along great."

"That sounds like fun," Gibbs said. "You're going to have a friend right away."

The teacher led them over to a desk where dark haired, bright eyed child was sitting quietly by herself. "Emily, this is Kellie. She's new to our class. Do you think you could maybe be her friend and help her out, show her around and make sure she's doing okay?"

Emily looked from the teacher to Gibbs to Kellie and smiled as she nodded. Mr. Jacobs put Kellie in the desk right next to Emily's and gathered a stack of textbooks for her then left her to get to know Emily before the school day started.

Gibbs knelt down and wrapped his arms around Kellie, pulling her into a hug. "You're gonna do great, Sweetheart," he said. "I'll be back to pick you up as soon as school gets out."

"I don't want to stay here," Kellie whispered as she clung to Gibbs.

"Emily's going to be lonely if you leave her here all by herself," Gibbs said. "Why don't you show her your new markers? Maybe you guys color a picture in one of your new notebooks before class starts. We'll hang it on the fridge when we get home tonight."

Kellie thought for a minute. That did sound like fun. She couldn't wait to be able to use her new markers and having her artwork proudly displayed on the refrigerator would be a bonus. She glanced over at Emily and returned the little girl's smile. Before she had time to respond, Gibbs kissed her cheek and headed up to have a private word with the teacher. Kellie sat down at her desk and kept an eye on Gibbs as she pulled her markers out of her backpack and one of her new notebooks. She shared her markers with Emily as Gibbs had suggested and the two got started making a picture. The next time Kellie looked up, Gibbs was gone.

* * *

><p>After making sure Mr. Jacobs had been informed about Kellie's unique situation and giving him a business card in case he needed to call, Gibbs glanced back at Kellie and saw that she seemed to be settling in and getting along well with Emily. He snuck out of the classroom and smiled to himself. The drop off had gone better than he'd expected. He thought there would be tears, clinging and begging and that he'd never get out of there but pairing Kellie up with another shy little girl who didn't have many friends herself was a good plan on the part of the teacher.<p>

Gibbs and Jenny busied themselves with work all day. They knew the school would call if there were any problems and they were confident the girl would settle in well and school would end up being good for her but they couldn't help but worry about her a little bit. Jenny broke down and called Mr. Jacobs during lunch to check-in while Gibbs stood right next to her, listening to the conversation via speaker phone. They were both relieved to learn Kellie and Emily seemed to have connected and were getting along great.

They arrived at the school nearly a half an hour before the final bell rang, securing a spot right in the front of the parent pick-up line. While they waited, they sipped coffee, rejoiced over the success of Kellie's first day and talked about the next step in her healing process. They knew they needed to get her into counseling to help her deal with the traumas she'd been though over the past three years and Ducky had recommended one he thought would be a good choice but Gibbs and Jenny decided to wait to schedule an appointment for her until the following week. She was still adjusting to a new house and a new routine; she'd just started school and would start her tutoring sessions on Wednesday. They thought that was more than enough for her to handle for the week.

After the bell rang, Kellie walked out hand in hand with Emily. The two smiled at each other and waved before Emily ran back and got into her car and Kellie headed for Gibbs' car. Jenny got out and gave her a hug. "How was your first day? Did you have fun?"

Kellie nodded her head as she hugged back. "I made a friend. Her name is Emily and she sits by me."

"I'm very happy to hear that," Jenny said as she opened the back door of the car. "We'll have to have Emily over for a play date."

"She can come over?" Kellie asked, very surprised by Jenny's remark.

"Of course she can, Kiddo," Gibbs said turning around and patting the girl's leg, "and when you're ready, you can go over to her house too."

Kellie smiled and happily snacked on the cookie and milk Gibbs and Jenny had brought her as Gibbs drove back to the Navy Yard. She imagined all the fun things she and Emily could do outside of school if they didn't have a teacher telling them what they had to do.

"Do you have homework?" Gibbs asked as the three of them stepped into the elevator.

"Yeah," Kellie said. "I have to practice writing my name a bunch of times."

"Okay," Gibbs said, "you can either do it now, while we're stuck here or you can wait until we get home. We'll leave the decision up to you."

Kellie thought about it for a minute. "If I do it now then can I play with my horses when we go home?"

"Yes you can," Jenny said. "If you want you can sit in my office and work on your homework that way I can help you if you need it."

"Homework stinks," Kellie whined as the elevator dinged to let Gibbs off in the squad room. "I wish I could just play."

Gibbs smiled as playfully pinched at her cheek. She was definitely starting to act like a normal kid. "Have fun, ladies," he said leaning down to kiss Kellie and then stealing a quick kiss from Jenny before exiting the elevator.

* * *

><p>Kellie seemed to settle into her new routine well. She didn't have many friends at school but she and Emily quickly became inseparable. As long as they didn't disrupt the class and got their work done, Mr. Jacobs let them get away with a little more than the other students. He was just happy the two had become friends; he hated seeing lonely children who had trouble fitting in with the other kids. Kellie and Emily seemed to have an almost instant connection.<p>

With the help of Jessica, Kellie's tutor, the eight year old was making progress much faster than anyone anticipated. By the end of April her teacher informed Gibbs and Jenny that he was going to recommend letting the girl pass to the third grade with the other children. She would have to work hard over the summer and continue seeing a tutor but she had a passion for learning and seemed to be catching on quickly. The school agreed it would be better for all parties if she were allowed to move on to the next grade with all the other children and they would continue to be patient with her situation as long as Gibbs and Jenny were dedicated to helping her catching up.

During the discovery phase of Rachel Morrison's pre-trial, after her public defender saw the video Ethan had secretly recorded proving she'd killed him, Gibbs got a phone call. It seemed Rachel suddenly wanted to meet with him without any lawyers present. Gibbs had agreed to the meeting, only because he was curious about what she was up to. If it hadn't been for Kellie, he would've ignored her request.

The woman was brought to the NCIS interrogation room just days before her trial was scheduled to start. After pleading for leniency and trying to bribe Gibbs, using her own daughter as leverage, she realized she wasn't going to get anywhere. As Gibbs was walking her down to the garage for transport back to the prison they ran into Jenny and Kellie going in the opposite direction. None of them were prepared for that encounter. Kellie stood, frozen in place, staring in shock at the woman who'd inflicted psychological and emotional abuse on her for years.

"Jen, get her out of here," Gibbs said as Jenny stared from Rachel back to Kellie. Gibbs wanted nothing more than to scoop the child up and rush her out of the presence of her mother but Rachel was in his custody and he wouldn't risk anything happening.

"Well lookie who we have here," Rachel said snidely.

"Come on, Honey," Jenny said grabbing Kellie's hand, "let's go."

"No," Kellie said not moving from her place in front of her biological mother. Gibbs and Jenny were both caught off guard.

"_Are you sure?"_ Gibbs signed not liking it one bit.

"_Yes,"_ Kellie signed back.

"What the hell is that?" Rachel asked angrily. "What's going on here?"

"I have a real mommy now," Kellie said boldly, "and another daddy. I'm not afraid of you anymore."

Rachel laughed a loud, evil laugh. "Look who grew a pair of balls. Did your new mommy and daddy empower you to stand up to me? 'Cause, Kid, I can still make your life a living hell."

Jenny grabbed the collar of Rachel's orange prison jumpsuit and slammed her backwards into the wall, temporarily knocking the wind out of her. "You will not talk to my daughter that way and you most certainly will not threaten her or you'll be answering to me."

"That's assault," Rachel said angrily, "you just assaulted me! I'll have your job, Lady!"

"Assault, huh?" Gibbs said naively. "I didn't see anything. Jen, did you assault anybody?"

Rachel let out a long, angry scream as Gibbs yanked her away. Jenny and Kellie continued back up to Jenny's office as if nothing had happened.

Gibbs and Jenny were quite impressed with how well Kellie handled the encounter with Rachel. She'd come a long way from the terrified child who refused to talk to anybody when they found her in the cage a few months earlier. Between her progress at school, meetings with her counselor and the ever-present guidance from Gibbs and Jenny the girl had blossomed. Her good days far outnumbered the bad, she had a small group of close friends and two loving parents who were not only a constant source of love and encouragement but also believed that she would change the world one day and never failed to tell her that.

Kellie had also managed to change Gibbs and Jenny's lives for the better. Jenny had moved in with Gibbs permanently and it was almost just like old times. Gibbs was learning to trust Jenny again and Jenny was remembering all the reasons she loved him. Kellie was also helping Gibbs learn to deal with his grief over the loss of his family. Just by learning how to be there for Kellie and help her through her own feelings, Gibbs was learning how to work through his feelings as well. He'd spent years trying to ignore the emotions or hide from them by busying himself with other things but he found himself being forced to relive every painful feeling as he tried to help Kellie work through her own grief.

The three were meshing together like a natural family. They spent weekends visiting museums and other tourist sites. They worked with Kellie on her homework as well as planning other fun activities that would help her learn but wouldn't seem like mundane schoolwork. They sat down to eat meals together, had many family movie nights, went on walks together, and always laid down together each night to read a bedtime story before tucking Kellie into bed and kissing her goodnight. To anyone on the outside looking in, they looked like the most natural family in the world and to the three of them; they felt like it. A difficult past had had a big part in bringing them together but no one would ever be able to guess what tragedies any of them had overcome.

The End


End file.
